Another Dragon Slayer?
by Miu Takayama
Summary: 1st FF evr-Natsu Wendy & Gajeel were in Edolas and fighting the Dorma Anim. When Natsu & the others use up the last of their magic, someone comes to their rescue & seems to be a dragon slayer, but is she? A series of events and secrets tell otherwise.
1. Prologue

**Ok, this is my first FanFic ever, so let's see how I do! I really love opinions, be good or bad. Feel free to tell me that this is the worst thing you've ever read, or that you really liked it. Also, This is the prologue and it didn't really meet my expectations now that I'm re-reading it. The story gets interesting, I promise!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, but I do own my characters**

**ANOTHER DRAGON SLAYER?**

In the land of Edolas, Fairy Tail's three dragon slayers are fighting the King in Dorma Anim.

"I'm not giving up!" yells Natsu as he punches the ground.

Gajeel turned his fist into iron and pounded the head of the Dorma Anim, only to be tossed away.

"We're not even making a dent. Natsu, what are we gonna do?" Wendy asked.

"Wendy, you can't give up! We're Fairy Tail wizards! Everyone is counting on us, we can't let everyone down," Natsu replied, using all his might to stand up.

Gajeel pushed the boulders off him, "Then we should try to attack at the same time, but at different angles."

"Wouldn't it work better if we all hit the same point at the same time?" Wendy piped up.

"But we don't know where its weak spot is," Gajeel replied.

Natsu laughed, "I thought you were an iron dragon slayer! Looks like I was wrong, everyone knows the weak spot of any machine is the joints."

"Shut-up! I know that, but some joints are weaker than others. The weakest joint is usually protected the most," Gajeel snapped.

"Most protected…" Wendy murmured "…What about the neck?"

Gajeel and Natsu look. Natsu's face lights up, "Let's do it!"

The King suddenly starts laughing, "Whatever you're scheming down there won't help you! I'm invincible in this! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Natsu grins, "On the count of three, three!"

Gajeel, "Two!"

Wendy, "One!"

Alltogether, "ROAR OF THE...FIRE, IRON, WIND DRAGONS!"

The combination of their powers created a black beam that slammed into the neck of the Dorma Anim. The Dorma Anim fell back onto its butt and the head started twitching. Electricity could be seen discharging around the neck with smoke billowing out as well.

The King's voice boomed, "You will pay for this! Just watch," it stood up sent the dragon slayers flying, "I'll make sure you can never do anything like that again!"

Gajeel coughed, lying on his stomach he scanned the ground for Wendy and Natsu.

Wendy, lying over a stone like a dirty rag, "This isn't good guys. I put everything into that last attack. I can't move either."

Gajeel coughed again, "Same here…I'm out of magic now."

Natsu emerged from underneath a few boulders, "I refuse…to give up!"

"Natsu…" Wendy whispered.

Natsu limped towards the Dorma Anim.

"Ha ha ha ha! You really are pathetic! You honestly think you can bring _me_ down?" The King laughed, raising one of the Droma Anim's arms.

Wendy noticed this and screamed with the little energy she had left, "NATSU!"

Natsu looked up, but it was too late. He wasn't able to dodge and he didn't have enough strength to protect himself from the blow. Nonetheless, he braced himself for impact. He closed his eyes, waiting for the blow, but it never came.

Natsu opened his eyes to see a figure in a pitch black coat that completely covered the person. The coat had a hood that made it impossible to see the person's face, but Natsu could sense that the person was smiling at him.

That's when Natsu noticed that the person had stopped the blow, with one hand.

The person flung the arm away, causing the Dorma Anim to stagger back a few steps.

Then the person carried Natsu over to where Wend and Gajeel was "Wait here, " the person whispered and turned to face the Dorma Anim.

**Did you love it? Hate it? want me to go on? Review and tell me what to do.**


	2. Chapter 1

**I'm so happy for the reviews! Here's the next chap and the next one might be a little while, sorry. Enough about me, let's get back to the story. Oh, you might have noticed that I changed chap1 into prologue. I felt that I wasn't really part of the story, more like an introduction to it. Also I had some technical difficulties uploading this...Enough of me!**

The figure stood in front of the Dorma Anim. Silence was the blanket that suffocated the area.

Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel were dumbfounded at who this surprise guest could be. They were breathing heavily from their battle with the Dorma Anim, but were vividly watching the stare down between the King and the mysterious person.

The King was a little hesitant to attack after how his new opponent tossed him away so easily. He started braking out in a cold sweat and shouted insults at the figure.

"What are you waiting for? Are you scared? You probably used up what little magic you had to block my attack!" He barked.

The King waited for a response and he got one.

The figure's hand rose up and the King's heart skipped a beat. He held his breath, waiting for something to happen. After a little while he sighed in relief and burst out laughing.

"What are you waiting for?" He yelled.

Immediately the Dorma Anim started shaking and a few sparks sprouted out of the neck.

"You idiot! How did you do that?" he demanded.

It started to shake again and smoke billowed from the neck.

Gajeel stared in awe, "How did he do that? He's just standing there."

The figure's hand fell back to his side and fell to one knee.

The King saw this and decided to take advantage of the moment. He swung the arm at blinding speed, in an attempt to end the fight there.

But the figure reacted fast enough to almost completely dodge the blow. The right arm hung limp as the figure stood for the next attack. The entire right side of the black cloak was shredded and the figure tossed the cloak to reveal long silver hair tied in a single braid. She was wearing a black halter-top and black pants. The eyes were covered with white bandages.

Wendy walked over to Natsu and whispered, "How can she fight with her eyes covered like that?"

"Remember in my old guild, Phantom? One of the elemental four had their eyes bandaged to suppress their magic, so maybe she's doing the same," Gajeel replied, joining them.

Natsu stood up and watched the girl dodge another attack. "Who are you?" Natsu yelled.

The girl kicked the neck of the Dorma Anim, knocking it on its butt again.

She ran over and stood there quietly.

Just when Natsu thought she wasn't going to answer them, she said, "It's Kotone. It seems I've bought enough time for you all to partially recover. Now all we need to do is use our combined powers. That should finish it off."

"But we already tried that and it didn't work," Wendy replied.

To all of their surprise, Kotone smiled and said, "Let's try it one more time."

Natsu smiled and punched the air. "All right!" he said.

Gajeel and Wendy looked at each other and shrugged.

Kotone's smile turned sad. "This is only going to work if we all attack at the exact same moment," she said. Then she mumbled a small, "Forgive me."

She ripped off the bandages in one quick, fluid motion. Her eyes opened to reveal vibrant, fiery-orange eyes that made the other feel on edge.

All of them stiffened as Kotone's pupils changed into slits and opened her mouth slightly. Then she closed her mouth and said clearly, "Copy."

She raised her arm and Natsu's, Gajeel's, and Wendy's arms rose, synchronized with Kotone.

Wendy's eyes went wide as she found out she couldn't move, the same was happening to Natsu and Gajeel.

"I'm sorry," Kotone apologized, "it's just that there's no possible way that we won't attack at the same time now."

They turned to face the king who was finally back on his feet.

"I see you had to call for back up. Pathetic, all of you," barked the King.

The Dragon Slayers took in a huge breath, making their cheeks puff like a toads. The king threw back his head and laughed at the sight. His laughter was cut short as he plummeted to the ground.

**I'm sorry it's not that long, but I believe the next chapter will be. I hope you liked it!**


	3. Chapter 2

A/N I'm so sorry I've been out for so long! It was the beginning of a new school year and I was adjusting. Then, when I was ready to continue writing, my computer crashed!

**Voice in my head: That's no excuse!  
><strong>Me: You're right! I'm so sorry! What I've done is unforgivable!  
><strong>VIMH: As long as you understand, I will forgive you.<br>**Me: Really?  
><strong>VIMH: NO GET ON WITH THE STORY ALREADY!<strong>  
>Me: I'm sorry!<p>

* * *

><p>All was silent.<p>

Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel glanced at each other, and then back at Kotone. All unsure of what to say, but all glad that they were in control of their own bodies again.

The feeling of being disconnected from one's own body is frightening. The lack of control makes one feel so helpless and alone.

Quietly, almost out of thin air, a voice whispered, "I wonder…"

Natsu's ear twitched, "What was that?"

Kotone turned and looked Natsu in the eye. Her face was a mixture between sadness, pain, and wonder. Natsu was taken aback by this expression and Wendy silently gasped.

"I said," Kotone began, "I wonder…what color my hair is. Or, what the color of my eyes was. Could you possibly tell me? I want to know."

Gajeel scoffed at Kotone's obvious lack of knowledge. He couldn't help but marvel at her ignorance, or stupidity. He couldn't decide which one was more appropriate for the situation.

Wendy and Natsu were both frozen by the suddenness of the question, but Gajeel's scoff brought them back to life. Wendy cleared her throat and took a good look at Kotone, while Natsu replied with, "Your hair is grey and your eyes are orange."

"Natsu!" Wendy squealed. "What kind of description is that?"

Kotone gave a small smile in reply and picked up her coat. The right arm was torn off and the end of the right side of the coat was shredded. None the less, she put it on and pulled the hood over her head, hiding her face.

"I must be going now," Kotone whispered.

Natsu, not accepting her going with no explanation at all, grabbed her shoulder. He felt her stiffen under his grasp, so he let go. When she made no attempt to leave, he said, "Who are you?"

"Kotone is Kotone and no other," was her quiet reply.

Gajeel, getting impatient, stomped over and ripped the coat off Kotone.

Wendy yelled, "Gajeel! What are you doing?"

Gajeel, completely ignoring Wendy, grabbed Kotone by the throat and lifted her into the air.

Natsu and Wendy gasped as Gajeel's grip tightened. "What kind of explanation is that?" Gajeel hissed. "Don't you know anything besides your name?"

Natsu and Wendy grabbed Gajeel's arm, pulling it down when Kotone didn't struggle at all.

"You're killing her!" Wendy yelled.

Gajeel didn't budge at all. The only thing that moved was his face, which changed from one of irritation to one of fear.

Kotone, unmoving, hung there, looking down at Gajeel. Her eyes were empty as she calmly said, "It's fine, let him be."

"But…" Wendy said still clinging to Gajeel, but was pulled off by Natsu.

Wendy started to protest, but then saw Kotone's face and knew that this was her battle.

Gajeel was shocked by the lack of…the lack of everything. No expression what so ever with eyes that reflected absolutely nothing. He couldn't move. Fear's dagger was firmly impaled into his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. The eyes were slowly chilling him from the inside out, but he thought they were oddly familiar. There was just something about them that tickled his memory.

"…My name is Kotone. What do you think I am?" she demanded.

Gajeel's response was a little delayed by his sudden forgetfulness of how to use his mouth. "A d-dragon slayer," he stuttered.

The next thing Gajeel knew was that he couldn't feel his hand anymore, due to Kotone's death grip on his wrist.

Kotone smiled, it was a smile that made Gajeel start to tremble, "You're wrong."

Two simple words that sent all of them reeling and made them question everything that they knew.

"What?" Wendy asked.

"Then how can you use dragon slayer magic?" Natsu exclaimed.

The ground started to shake and Gajeel let go of Kotone, but Kotone hovered where she was.

Natsu's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. "She's releasing an immense amount of magic! This much is insane, inhuman even!"

"Take cover!" Wendy yelled, hiding behind one of the remaining pillars.

Soon Natsu and Gajeel joined her, but when the earth's trembling started to subside, a part of the pillar started to crumble.

"Oh no," Wendy murmured.

The top half of the pillar started to topple and they huddled together, knowing that there wasn't enough time to escape. They closed their eyes, but nothing happened.

Natsu looked up and couldn't believe what he saw.

* * *

><p>AN It's a cliffy! I'm sorry this isn't that long; I'll try to get another chapter up today.

Wendy: It's okay, you're working really hard in school.

Me: Thank you so much for understanding! *thwack* Ow ow ow ow!

Gajeel: That's what you get for making me look pathetic.

Me: I'm sorry!

Kotone: Why do you insist on making me look like I'm a pathetic girl drowned in despair who has given up on the world?

Me: Only for now! Your true colors will shine through later, I promise!

Natsu: Stop picking on her!

Me: *eyes shining and multi colored bubbles float around my head* Natsu!

Natsu: Fighting her will be much more fun!

Me: (0.0) AAAAAnyways! _Until next time_!

Gajeel: This isn't an anime dang it!

Me: Isn't it sort of?


	4. Chapter 3

A/N Thanks for reading! It makes me happy knowing people even click my story!

**Kotone: No one should want to read this crud.**

Me: *eyes watering* Kotone…..how could you be so mean to me? I created you….

**Kotone: Go die in a hole!**

Me: *melts in despair*

**Kotone: This is pathetic! Why must I take part in such folly?**

Me: *a puddle* please don't be that way…I love you just the way you are!

**Kotone: *stomps in puddle of Miu* I DON'T WANT YOUR LOVE! *clears throat* I will start since you are busy with your miseries at the moment.**

* * *

><p>Natsu shook the others and pointed up. A wall of sliver was holding up the pillar that threatened to crush them. The wall gave a little shiver and then softly laid the pillar down on the ground.<p>

Wendy gasped as she realized what the silver wall was. Natsu and Gajeel were dumbfounded when Wendy blurted out, "Dragon!"

Wendy ran around the remains of the pillar to see a sliver dragon with amber eyes searching the ground for something.

Natsu and Gajeel were quite for a moment, awe-struck.

_A dragon? Where did it come from? Why is it here? Does it know where the other dragons are?_ These were the questions running through their heads.

The dragon was beautiful. Her scales shined in the moonlight like polished glass. The belly was as black as black could get, along with the threatening claws. The wings were covered with feathers that looked as if they were vibrating. The soft curves of the deceitfully graceful face gave the dragon a sense of dignity and honor that demanded respect.

The golden amber eyes looked down on the dragon slayers but its eyes closed. The head turned away, almost as if ashamed of itself.

Wendy, who was more observant than the others, timidly walked over and placed a loving hand on one of the dragon's claws. "Kotone?" Wendy asked.

Natsu and Gajeel, finally recognizing the subtle features that resembled Kotone's, gazed in amazement as they waited in anticipation for their unspoken questions to be answered.

The head came back around and looked at the trembling Wendy.

"Yes dear?" the voice softly rung, a voice that had an enchanting melody that would capture the attention of anyone who would be lucky enough to hear it.

Wendy gulped down her fear as she realized that Kotone had no intentions of hurting her or anyone else that would come her way. _It's the eyes_, Wendy thought, _so full of sadness that they have become empty_. "Kotone, please tell us. Tell us your sorrows so that we may lift the burden off your shoulders."

A sigh that was so tired that it harmonized with the many years it was used before. Wendy, the sensitive girl that she is, heard the cracking sound of someone's heart opening up and she rested her head against the claw for the tale of the one called Kotone.

"It all began before I was born. It began with my mother when she was pregnant with me. Hold on a moment," Kotone said as she carefully picked up the remains of her cloak. She gently pulled out an unusual looking flute that was more of a cube shape than a cylinder.

"This," Kotone murmured, "is one of my many inventions over the years. It plays a simple song that tells a complicated tale. Those who hear it succumb to a deep sleep and dream the tale the song sings. The song is only about two minutes long, but the dream will seem much, much longer than two minutes. This particular dream will be about my life story and it will take you through the most significant parts of my story. The insignificant parts will only be mentioned in a whisper, but I must warn you, if you wish to hear the tale, I am over 500 years old. Do you wish to have a dream that lasts two minutes but feels like 500 years, or would you like to go on your way as if you never met me? The story will take too long for you to listen to me tell it, but if you dream it, your questions will be answered, even the questions you didn't know to ask."

Kotone was met with silence.

Kotone waited patiently, she knew that this was a tough decision. No one has ever said yes to listen to her song, but these dragon slayers had a lot to gain if they took this ever-lasting two minute nap.

After a while, Kotone was just about to put the flute away when the unexpected happened.

"I will listen to it," Gajeel's voice rang strong and clear.

Everyone looked at Gajeel in amazement. "This is quite a surprise metal dragon slayer. I thought you would be the first to deny my request," Kotone said.

Gajeel looked at the flute with determination, "If the dream will really feel like 500 years long, then won't I come back 500 times stronger?" Gajeel grinned like he had victory in the palm of his hand.

Kotone smirked at the cocky little boy, "I don't understand how you came to that conclusion, but to be perfectly honest, I admire your guts."

Natsu glanced at Gajeel and said, "Well then I guess I gotta do it as well. Can't let Gajeel get ahead of me now can I?"

Wendy smiled, "I can't be the only one left out, so I'll dream along with you guys!"

Kotone was shocked by how happy they looked. She found herself smiling along with them, "To be perfectly honest, no one has ever listened to the song before. I don't know if it will really feel like 500 years or not. I'll let you find out then." Then with that, she brought the flute to her face.

"Wait a second," Gajeel burst out, "you're a dragon aren't you?"

"Yes and no. The dream will explain everything."

"But what are you the dragon of?"

His only response was a smile and then a haunting tune. Gajeel felt his knees give out under him, but he never felt the ground make contact with his body…

* * *

><p><em>In dreams, anything can happen. This dream is the only exception, for everything that happens cannot be changed, nor will it ever be.<em>

_This dream has a narrator to tell the story for I am he and he is I. I will begin this dream before our protagonist is born, so do not be displeased when there is no mention of her. Oh but here she comes, in the belly of a single mother…_

_The young lady was walking to her favorite place in the whole world. It was a field of mustards on the side of a hill outside of the town of Magnolia._

_She was humming one of her favorite tunes, but was cut short by the sight of a magnificent black dragon._

_She gasped and the dragon roared at her for disturbing his sleep._

_The lady tried to run, but was much too slow for the dragon. He caught her and told her that the punishment for waking him was death._

_The lady begged forgiveness and that if he had to take a life, take hers, but not the baby inside her._

_He agreed, but on one condition. That during the birth, the child be put through an ancient dragon ritual._

_The lady agreed, thankful for the dragon's mercy._

_The young lady didn't know what the ritual was, and didn't dare ask for fear of angering the dragon._

_When the time came, the ritual began and the black dragon watched as the ritual came to an end._

_The lady asked for permission to see her child before she died and the dragon chuckled and said yes._

_What the dragon gave her was an egg and explained to her that the ritual was the cause of the egg. Her baby was inside the egg, to mature into being a dragon._

_Outraged, the lady tried to break open the egg, but the dragon swiftly killed the lady before she could do too much damage. Unfortunately for the dragon, she had managed to make a single crack in the egg._

_Many moons later, the dragon was relieved to see a healthy baby dragon hatch from the egg. Little did he know that when the baby slept, she would subconsciously suppress her magic and become human…_

_When the black dragon found the human, he was furious at the young lady how had ruined his plans. He vowed to never tell the girl about her mother._

_So the little demi dragon grew up and was named Kotone after the black dragon,__Acnologia, found out the girl's affinity was of sound. Kotone, harp sound, learned that she needed to talk quietly in order for people to pay attention to what she was saying. Otherwise they'd zone out and be enchanted by her voice._

_One day, when playing hide and seek with Acnologia, she hid in a dark cave and found herself in a different body when Acnologia found her. The lack of sight suppressed her powers into becoming human and __Acnologia couldn't hide the truth from Kotone._

_Horrified, Kotone ran away and came across some humans that thought she was a monster, for she wasn't big enough to be recognized as a mighty dragon._

_So she traveled for years blindfolded and ignored by other humans, even though she had the body of a human. She ate once every two months on average. Her meal would often be a moldy apple that someone had thrown out or a handful of wild berries she was fortunate enough to come by._

_Being an outcast from the world of dragons and the world of the humans, Kotone started cutting herself off from others. She slowly started to ignore everyone and everything around her._

_Years and years passed before a young boy came into her life. He was very young and begging for money, food, and water._

_He threw himself at Kotone's feet making her stop. The boy's pleads tore at her heart, causing it to open up again._

_She asked him if he could walk and he couldn't because of starvation. So she carried him on her back and walked._

_He asked her where they were going and she replied with a smile. Her mouth opened and she started to sing. The boy fell asleep but she kept on singing._

_She came to the next town, singing, with the boy on her back still sleeping._

_She only thought about the boy as she sung. She walked over to the market, singing, and grabbed an apple and a loaf of bread. In return, she blessed them all with the song of a dragon._

_For in the song she sang them all good fortune and happy lives._

_She filled her canteen with water and left the town. She found a hill full of mustards and held the boy as he slept._

_In the morning, the boy found the girl sleeping with her arms around him. He gently shook her and she smiled, brushing his hair out of his eyes._

_She offered him the apple and water and asked him to eat slowly. The boy greedily took the food and thanked her before taking a huge bite._

_She reminded him to eat slowly and chuckled at his impatience. The boy could only eat a few bites before he was full and the girl smiled a knowing smile when she heard him stop eating._

_She asked if he was done and he said he hated wasting food._

_The Kotone said she would finish it. She carried the boy and hummed a little tune, occasionally stopping to take a bit of the apple._

_The boy asked the girl why she bandaged her eyes and she stopped walking and humming. The boy apologized, saying it was none of his business. The girl shook her head and smiled as she continued walking._

_She asked the boy's name and he replied that he didn't have a name. Kotone was deeply disturbed by this and asked if it was okay to give him a name._

_He was so delighted and asked what his was going to be. Her reply was that he would be forever known as Makarov._

_He said it had a nice ring to it and Kotone told him her own name, to his delight. He said it was pretty and that made her smile._

_She turned her head away from him so he wouldn't see her face fall as she remember the dragon who gave it to her._

* * *

><p><strong>Phew! I got it done, but I'm not very happy with how I'm telling the dream.<strong>

**Gajeel: Yeah, you suck! *THWACK!***

**Natsu: Alright! Good one Miu!**

**Kotone: I never would have thought you had it in you.**

**Me: I can only take so much insult before I crack!**

**Wendy: Please calm down, your fever is going up.**

**Me: Stupid cold *cough* worst week ever to get sick! I missed a Biology exam and tomorrow I'm gonna miss my History test!**

**Kotone: Why don't you just go to school?**

**Me: They won't let me sit there coughing every two minutes! I'll be kicked out for disrupting class!**

**Gajeel: my head hur-*pong***

**Me: Oops I hit him with a frying pan. My bad!**

**Kotone: Put that down before you hurt someone! *PONG***

**Me: What was that?**

**Natsu: Miu!**

**Me: What?**

**Natsu: My turn! *PONG* not what I had in mind…**

**Me: I'm tired and sick...literally! I have no patience to take your criticism! Reviews are another thing, but to have my borrowed characters talk smack to my face after I worked my butt off for them? NOT HAPPENIN!**

**Wendy: Miu! Please go back to bed.**

**Me: Very well. I promise to attempt to update again tomorrow.**


	5. Chapter 4

_Years went by and Kotone was happily living her life with Makarov._

_Makarov was so happy that he wasn't alone anymore. Kotone was the greatest thing that had happened in his life. She was like a big sister to him and he loved her._

_But, because he loved her, he worried about her. He desperately wanted to know why she had to bind her eyes. He wanted to be able to fix them and one night, when they were about to fall asleep, he asked her if her eyes could be fixed._

_Kotone thought for a moment before whispering, "There really isn't anything wrong with my eyes, so they don't need to be fixed."_

_Makarov was so confused by this answer that he decided to step into forbidden territory. He knew it was wrong, but he had been traveling around the world with Kotone for years. He was deeply upset with himself for not knowing anything about his best friend._

"_If they're fine, why don't you ever take the bandages off? I think you would have pretty eyes Kotone."_

_Kotone smiled, but didn't know her smile was filled with pain. Makarov frowned at the sight of his big sister in such turmoil._

_Kotone sighed and held Makarov close, "My eyes don't deserve to see such a sweetheart as you."_

_Makarov was upset with Kotone's subtle change of subject and continued, "You said you knew magic, but you don't use it. It would be so helpful to us if you used your magic. I don't even know what type of magic you have. Kotone, I want to know all about you."_

_Kotone's smile grew a little before she said, "One day dear. One day when I'm ready…" Then she drifted off to sleep._

_Then Makarov waited, deep in thought. He debated and debated in his head, but his curiosity got the better of him. He moved slowly and quietly so he wouldn't wake Kotone up. He untied the bandages that covered her eyes and pulled it off. _

_He gasped at the sight of what he thought was a fallen angel. The hood of the newly bought black cape was pulled off her head and hair graced the grass like streams of pure silver. Her long eyelashes caught the moonlight, reflecting the remains of her tears._

_He sat there for hours, just looking at her. He couldn't figure out why she would want to hide anything about her._

_She bought that huge black cloak so no one would be able to see her modest figure. She made sure to get one that had a hood so no one could see her face. Then she hides her eyes so she can't see._

_This last concept confused Makarov to no end. He wondered how she could see when her eyes were closed. So he decided he would ask her the next day and he rebound her eyes._

_Kotone woke up before Makarov and immediately she knew something was wrong. She could feel light raining down on her eyes. She bolted up right and brought her hands to her face. Her fingers brushed over the gap in the bandages and she quickly brought the hood over her head. _

_Making sure to keep her eyes closed, she took off the bandages. The temptation to open her eyes had her biting her bottom lip. She hadn't opened her eyes for over 300 years. She hadn't seen light in over 300 years._

_She reluctantly brought the bandages up to her eyes and bound them properly._

_For all those years, her bandages never budged and she had an inkling as to how they moved._

_Makarov woke up on Kotone's back as she marched through a thick forest._

"_Where are we going Kotone?" Makarov, half asleep, mumbled._

"_Morning dear," Kotone whispered. "How did you sleep?"_

_Makarov, remembering what happened the night before, "Actually, I stayed up late wondering how you could see with your eyes like that."_

_Kotone, having her suspicions confirmed, sighed. Her pace slowed down as she said, "It's my magic. What you did last night was dangerous, so please don't do it again."_

_Makarov pouted and said that he was capable of walking on his own, but Kotone said that she was fine._

_Makarov insisted on walking, but Kotone refused to let him. She wanted to carry him one last time._

_The dense forest started to open up and there was a little clearing next to a small stream._

_Kotone finally put Makarov down and he ran to go play in the river. He splashed around laughing at how refreshing the cold water was to the hot summer._

_Once Makarov was finished with splashing around, he lay down next to the stream and smiled._

"_Makarov."_

_He looked over at Kotone who was sitting a few yards away from him, "Yea?"_

"_Why are you so interested in my eyes lately?"_

_Makarov sat up and looked at his hands, "I wanted to know more about you and your eyes hold a special place in your heart that I know nothing about."_

_Kotone sighed as she stood up and whispered, "You hold a special place in my heart as well. You are my first friend and you always will be. No one can replace you or take over the place you hold in my heart. I thought you knew that."_

"_I do, it's just…"_

"_Makarov, are you going to leave my eyes alone, or do you still want to know?"_

_Makarov couldn't bring himself to look up at Kotone and a silence fell upon the clearing._

_Kotone broke the silence when she handed Makarov her cloak and asked him to hold it for a second._

_Confused, Makarov took it and Kotone walked over to the edge of the clearing._

"_This," she began, "is why I bandage my eyes." She undid the small knot at the back of her head. It slowly fell to the ground as her eyes, closed, adjusted to the sudden light on them. "I will show you everything that I hid from you. This is why you needed to leave them alone."_

_Her amber eyes opened for the first time since she was rejected by the humans. She saw Makarov's confused expression change with her body. _

_His eyes were so wide with bewilderment that she thought they would pop out of their sockets._

"_I am half dragon, half human. I take on my human form when I lose my sense of sight, or when I'm asleep…" She trailed off as Makarov's expression bordered on fear. In a voice that boomed and rang in Makarov's eardrums, she sang, "I am Kotone, the dragon of sound."_

_Makarov started to tremble and Kotone looked away as she bandaged her eyes again. After a few moments, the change took place and Kotone's clothes, shredded, littered the ground._

_Like a stone, she walked over and whipped the cloak on. _

"_Follow me," Kotone whispered and started walking._

_Makarov, stunned, had to hurry to catch up to her. After a little while he asked, "Where are we going?"_

"_You'll see."_

_And that was all they said until they came across a town._

_They walked into a town and Makarov didn't know what to do. He was slightly scared of Kotone now, but he didn't know what else to do, so he followed her as she made her way through town._

_She didn't stop to ask for directions and it looked as if she knew this city pretty well. Then again, she knew her way through every city they visited._

_But then Kotone stopped and asked a young lady something Makarov couldn't hear._

"_Kotone? Where are we going?" Makarov asked hesitantly._

"_Someone who lives here owes me a favor and I'm going to collect," Kotone whispered._

_She took off again and Makarov had to scramble after her so he wouldn't be left behind._

_Kotone stopped in front of a building and opened one of its huge doors._

_Makarov's heart started pounding as he read the sign that said, "Fairy Tail" above the door._

"_What is this place?" he whispered._

_Kotone just walked into the building and everything went quite as she did so. She walked up to the bar where an old man sat and tapped him on the shoulder._

"_Can I help you youngsters?" he asked._

_Everyone's eyes were on them as Kotone whispered, "Do you remember me Mavis?"_

_He scratched his head for a moment before saying, "You do look familiar…that cloak isn't really helping you though. I don't remember meeting anyone with such a dark cloak."_

_Kotone pushed the hood off and brought her hair out. Mavis' eyes bulged as he started choking on whatever he was drinking._

_After he finished coughing and could breathe properly, he said, "I didn't think I would ever see you again. You said that you were just passing through and that you didn't plan on coming back."_

"_Sorry to disappoint," she replied._

"_No-no-no-no-no! You misunderstand me, this is great!" He stood up and loudly claimed, "This here is an honored guest; treat her with the utmost respect!"_

_Everyone, who had been intently listening, cheered and tried to swarm her._

_Makarov saw Kotone's face express the first emotion since the incident in the clearing, and that emotion was anger._

_Kotone grinded her teeth and screamed, "HEY!"_

_Makarov was taken aback by the sudden noise. It was the first time he had heard anything louder than a whisper from Kotone as a human._

_Everyone was in a daze at the power behind the sound and Kotone followed it with a quiet, "Mavis, I'm collecting that favor you owe me."_

_Mavis, disappointed, said, "Darn, I wanted to host a feast for you."_

_Kotone whispered, "Last time I saw you was the first time and I only said three words to you. I don't need a feast."_

_Mavis became animated for a moment and he enthusiastically replied, "That may be true, but you saved me from drowning all those years ago! That was a heroic deed and I want to show my gratitude! You look like you haven't aged a bit either and that was over 60 years ago. I've started a wizard guild as, you can see, and I want you to join! What do you say?"_

_Kotone motioned to the forgotten Makarov behind her and said, "A life for a life."_

"_What?" Mavis and Makarov said together._

"_I want you to take care of him," she whispered._

"_Kotone you're leaving me behind?" Makarov said, panicked._

_Kotone didn't reply as Mavis looked from Kotone to Makarov. He scratched his head as he thought it over. Eventually he asked, "Can he us magic?"_

"_Yes, but he hasn't grasped how to use them well yet," Kotone whispered._

"_Kotone you aren't serious are you?" Makarov yelled._

_Mavis nodded his head and put his hand on Makarov's shoulder._

"_Thank you," she whispered and turned. She walked away to Makarov's dismay._

"_Kotone don't go! ONEE-CHAN! ONNEEEE-CHAAAN!" he screamed, tears rolling down his face._

_No matter how he felt about what happened at the clearing, he still loved Kotone like family and didn't want his family to be separated._

_Kotone stopped at the door, his outburst signified that he would follow her and she couldn't have that._

_She walked back to Makarov and bent down so she would be eye-level with him. She grabbed his head and turned it. She whispered goodbye and started singing._

_He swayed and she caught him, still singing. He fell asleep and she placed him on the bar. She grabbed a pillow and blanket out of storage and covered him._

_Tears rolling down her face, she left the sleeping guild and closed the door behind her._

_When Makarov woke up, he ran out of the guild and all over town. He eventually returned to the guild and sat down at a table. He put his head down and for months after Kotone left, you would find him sitting there. Sometimes he would rest his head on his arm and stare at the doors._

_Kotone walked out of the town, but then everything shifted and she was walking back into the town. Her cloak was obviously worn out and dirty._

_It was raining and then there was a bright light. Kotone was standing in a wasteland, confused and dumbfounded._

_She walked around, looking for some signs of life, but then a person in a dark cloak, slightly similar to her own, walked up to her._

"_Are you a dragon slayer?" he asked._

"_Yes and no," she replied._

"_I would like to request your help. You see, what happened is…" Mystogan began._

_He explained how the world of Edolas was losing its magic and the people in that world use magic weapons instead of having magic in their bodies. Edolas was slowly sucking in the magic from this world into theirs and he gave Kotone a pill. Before she left, he said that the people there were like a mirror of people in this world. They look the same, but they are different._

_Kotone was sucked into the world of Edolas and she found her way into Edolas' Fairy Tail. There she met a super hyper version of herself who informed her that there were others like her who came from the other world as well. Kotone asked her where they went and she followed the directions of her Edo-self._

_After some confusion and getting lost a few times, she came across the people her Edo-self described. She distracted the Droma Anim long enough so that the dragon slayers could regain their stamina._

* * *

><p>Natsu and the others woke up and felt like they had been asleep for a day.<p>

"Ugh…how long were we out?" Gajeel murmured.

Ding-Do-Da—Dong-…

Wendy stared at the music box in horror. "We didn't even sleep long enough for it to finish the song…"

Natsu and Gajeel joined Wendy in staring at the box.

Kotone walked over and picked up the box. She was back in her human form and she had on a spare set of cloths and the remains of her cloak. Her eyes were bound again, but the bandage was pretty dirty by this point now.

"So," Kotone whispered, "what did it show you?"

Wendy gulped as Nastu bluntly said, "Well it showed us how you were born, how you found out your species, how you ran away, how you met the Master, and how you came here…That was basically it."

"'The Master'? Who's that?" she replied.

"The Guild Master," Wendy stated.

Kotone was silent as the dragon slayers got up and brushed themselves off.

"Well, now you know that I know nothing of your dragons and I have answered the questions you have for me," Kotone said as she turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Wendy yelled.

Kotone stopped and watched as the young dragon slayer fidgeted, working up the courage to speak her mind.

Wendy took a deep breath and asked, "W-Why were you coming back to Magnolia?"

Everyone was silent, even Natsu was stunned by the question.

Kotone turned so she could face Wendy head on. She pushed her hood back and quietly said, "I want to show Makarov that I worked really hard so that I could be around him without hiding my eyes." She took the bandages off and wrapped it around the arm the Droma Anim broke. "It's much harder to suppress my magic without the bandages, but with a lot of effort, I can stay in my human form and see everyone's faces. The drawback of the bandages is that it's next to impossible to use any of my magic with it on. The only magic I can use effectively with the bandages is the sleeping chant. It's the last thing he heard from me before I had to abandon him…"

Tears fell from Kotone's eyes as she tried to smile through the painful memory. She wiped her eyes and whispered, "I was scared that he was going to take my bandages off and cause me to change. If he did it while I was sleeping and didn't put it back on…I would crush him when I woke up. I didn't want him to be shunned if he took them off during the middle of the day. I didn't want the people to be scared of him for just knowing me. Once I finally mastered how to not change without the bandages and still use my magic, I came as fast as I could. Then everything was gone and I was so scared that I lost my chance to ever see him again…"

Wendy walked over and put her hands on Kotone's injured arm. She hummed her little chat and started healing Kotone. "I think the Master is lucky to have such caring friend. You never abandoned him. You just made sure he was safe until you could return for him without putting him in danger," Wendy said, looking up at Kotone.

Kotone put her hand on top of Wendy's head and ruffled her hair, "Thank you. You're sweet just like Makarov when he was little."

Wendy beamed at the compliment and hugged Kotone.

Natsu was quiet during this and he needed to say something that might mean something to Kotone.

"Um, the black dragon we saw in the dream," he said, "I've actually heard some news about it."

Kotone looked up at Natsu, alarmed eyes pierced Natsu and he had to take a step back. "What did you say?"

Natsu, dead serious replied, "There is a member of our guild who went up against the black dragon. He told me he barely escaped before returning to the guild."

Kotone gulped and whispered, "He is a lucky man. Few are unfortunate enough to cross paths with Acnologia, but I have not heard of anyone leaving after that. Do you mind if I meet with him?"

Natsu grinned, "I bet he would like that."

Kotone nodded and started walking away, "Excuse me, but I have some business to take care of."

Kotone left the bewildered dragon slayers, going back to the Fairy Tail in Edolas.

* * *

><p><strong>Miu: Sorry for the long awaited new chapter! Technical difficulties and major homework problems are to blame. I also am willing to answer any reviews at the end of each chapter. I saw that some other authors did this and I thought that it was perfectawesome.**

**Kotone: Finally I show some drive and determination in this chapter!**

**Miu: You're right, it finally happened!**

**Gajeel: I only had one line in this chapter!**

**Wendy: Please calm down!**

**Miu: (^.^) I did that on purpose because you made me snap in the last A/N**

**Gajeel: *grumble***

**Miu: I've noticed that some authors threaten to stop writing if they don't get any reviews. I'm just going to say that I will never do that. Reviews are appreciated, but not required at all. I write because I want to. I would be lying if I said that I don't care if anyone reads it, but I'm happy to just be able to write the story.**

**Wendy: Good for you!**

**Miu: (^.^) *a girl's gotta be praised once in a while, not just insulted* So, from now on, if I get a review, I will respond to it in an author's note like this. I'll try to update soon, so keep your fingers crossed!**


	6. Chapter 5

After Kotone finally found her way back to where the Edolas fairy Tail was, she thought she had gotten lost again. Where the guild used to be, was an empty void. Kotone walked into the void to make sure it wasn't an invisibility spell or something else.

"Ah, I see you made your way back. I had a feeling you would be coming to see me again," Edo Kotone said. She walked into the void, only stopping when she was a few inches away. Her bound eyes, she claimed, was from an unfortunate accident, causing her to lose her sight when she was born.

"What happened? Did this Erza Knightwalker person destroy the guild?" Kotone asked.

Edo Kotone suddenly jumped back and started doing cartwheels and flips around Kotone. "Nope!" she said. "We moved and now our guild is fighting with the other Earthland wizards. I was originally fighting with them, but I ditched and came here."

Kotone drew a deep breath to calm herself. She _never_ thought that _any_ version of herself would _ever_ abandon friends in the middle of battle. "Why would you just leave everyone like that?"

Edo Kotone landed a back flip and brought her hands to the sides of her head, "Oh, super dizzy!" Edo Kotone hugged her knees in an attempt to rid her dizziness. Our Kotone waited patiently, knowing the answer was coming.

Edo Kotone stood up and ripped her own bandages off, "I didn't abandon them because I faked my death." Her voice was so calm, that if she hadn't faced Kotone when she said that, Kotone wouldn't have known she was crying.

"You see," she continued, "I'm kind of like the Lisanna girl. You realized that she wasn't from Edolas and in a sense, neither am I. We were both supposed to have died when we were born, but something happened in the Earthland and the result is that we both survived. The worlds trying to remain balanced. After what's happening here in Edolas, the worlds are going to try to balance themselves again. That's where we come in, isn't it?"

Kotone looked away, she knew after she was told about what interfered with her birth. The crack her mom put in the egg didn't only break one silly little egg.

Edo Kotone smiled sadly and Kotone returned the same smile.

"Your arm is still broken right?" Edo Kotone stated.

Kotone nodded, but didn't say anything. Wendy had nulled the pain and set the bone, but she didn't heal it.

Edo Kotone place her hands on the broken arm, "Let this be my gift to you." Edo Kotone started to fade, but Kotone felt her fingers twitching. "With this, I can give you enough time to tie up loose ends…I can only marvel at how the existence of one person can throw off the balance of the world!" she said enthusiastically.

Kotone smiled back, "Well I guess that makes us one important person now doesn't it?"

The Kotone-s giggled, trying to relax in the serious atmosphere. Edo Kotone slowly became intangible as Earthland Kotone was able to move her wrist without any pain.

"You know something?" Edo Kotone began. "It is possible to maintain balance with us in the world."

"But I'm not really happy with what we have to do in order for us to stay."

"No, just you. All I'm doing is returning and I want my original soul to be happy. Either path you chose isn't very happy."

"It's the only choices I have. I want to choose the one where the least amount of people suffers."

"Liar, you're choosing the one where you don't have to suffer for long."

Kotone clenched her hand and her nails dug into her skin. Her knuckles turned white and Edo Kotone glanced up to see far away eyes that could be mistaken as a blank expression. Edo Kotone was shocked at the contrast between the calm expression and the powerful body language.

"Is it wrong?" Kotone asked.

Caught off guard, Edo Kotone gave her a confused look.

"Is it wrong that I'm being selfish?"

Edo Kotone placed her hands on the sides of her original's face and looked her in the eyes. Kotone regarded Edo Kotone with confusion and bewilderment at her sudden intent.

"We both know who the most important person in your life is. How would you feel if that person chose the choice you want to choose?" Edo Kotone interrogated. Slowly, as her feet faded away, her serious face melted into that angelic smile that Kotone possessed. So full of innocence and love, that Kotone didn't want it to go away.

Tears formed in her eyes as she returned the smile. She patted her other self's head and said, "You did good, thank you."

Edo Kotone's eyes started to over flow and she brought her hands to her face to wipe away the tears, smiling.

To anyone who would have happened upon them at that moment, would have thought it was a mother congratulating her child. But that was not the case, as Edo Kotone's legs faded away; they their last words to each other.

"I'm sorry I'm the cause of your pain," Kotone said.

Edo Kotone shook her head, "No, you are the cause of my happiness. Because of the sudden change of order, I was allowed to exist in this world. I am upset that I'm never going to see my friends again, but I'm okay with it. I realized that even though I'm going back to you, the memories I share with everyone will never disappear. Even if they forget me, it doesn't mean that it never happened. Besides, who knows, my memories might become yours. And you know, I'm happy that I'm finally becoming complete…Our situation was weird from the beginning, wasn't it? By day we walked amongst our friends, by night we visited each other in our dreams."

Kotone couldn't help but smile, "I liked hearing your stories about your side of the world. You were so happy all the time. It's hard to imagine that someone could be that happy while knowing they're not real."

By now, Edo Kotone's head was starting to fade. "But I was real, Kotone-sama, you gave me life…" Then she was gone.

Kotone's hand still hovered in the air as her clone's words echoed in her head. Her hand fell to her side and she raised her head to the night sky.

The constellations in Edolas were completely different from Earthland's, but Kotone didn't care. She wanted to see what Edo Kotone described to her.

Little orbs of light that danced across her eyes, making her gaze in wonder at the calming powers they seemed to possess. Kotone rose to join them, feet coming off the ground. The bandages on her previously broken arm came loose and weaved its way around Kotone. The yards and yards of bandages made intricate patterns in the air and mingled with the stars above. Soon, Kotone was above the trees, beholding the enchanting dance of the stars and bandages.

"What are you doing over there? Holding a little ribbon dance?" a voice called.

Numbly, Kotone turned her head to see Natsu, glowing and waving to her.

It was only then that she realized that she was glowing as well and that she wasn't the only person floating.

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked.

"The magic is being sucked out of this world and we're going with it," Gajeel grumbled.

Kotone returned to gazing at the magnificent sight of the dancing stars, but then had a sudden thought. She jerked forward and looked down at the people of Edolas watching them go. Among them was Edo Fairy Tail and Kotone had the urge to tell them something.

"Kotone loved you all; please don't forget her as long as you live!" Kotone called down to them.

She was returned with waving and loud cheering. Some of the voices she heard said things like: "We would never!", "We loved her too!", and "Please don't forget us either!"

Kotone waved back, smiling her angelic smile. The ribbons waved their goodbyes as they swayed back and forth in Kotone's glow, adding even more of an angelic feeling to her.

It wasn't until the magic had completely disappeared from Edolas that the Edo Fairy Tail started to wonder how Kotone knew Edo Kotone was gone from them. For, she wasn't there when they saw Edo Kotone fall in battle.

* * *

><p>Now back on Earth, Kotone stayed in the shadows of the forest when Natsu and the others had their heartwarming reunion with Lisanna. Kotone's heart would race at the thought of going to see Makarov again. She couldn't help but wonder if he hated her for leaving him behind. If he hated her, she realized it would be easier to continue with the choice she had to make.<p>

"Psst! Natsu, who is that girl?" a blond haired mage asked Natsu in a hushed voice.

"Who? Kotone?" Natsu said, not bothering to lower his voice.

An armored clad girl stepped forward, "Actually, I was wondering the same thing. It seems you are acquainted, so she couldn't be an enemy."

A shirtless boy grunted his agreement and Kotone gave him a questioning look, which had him scrambling for a shirt.

Wendy grabbed Kotone's hand and dragged her over to meet everyone, noticing her arm was healed. "Well," she started, "this is Kotone. She helped Natsu, Gajeel, and me defeat the Dorma Anim. While this *she pointed to the blonde girl* is Lucy, *pointing to the girl in armor* Erza, and *pointing to the now fully clothed boy* Gray."

"Nice to meet you," Kotone quietly responded.

"Wow, she's really quiet! Hopefully she'll rub off on you, Natsu!" Gray said enthusiastically.

Natsu got in Gray's face yelling, "Shut up ice freak!"

Gray retaliated and got up in Natsu's face, but Natsu backed off and in all seriousness said, "No, seriously. Don't make fun of Kotone, even if it's to slam me."

"Gray, please be nice to Kotone," Wendy chirped in.

Gajeel came up behind Kotone, crossing his arms. They were obviously remembering the dream they had in Edolas, where Kotone was constantly the victim of verbal abuse and having rocks thrown at her where ever she went.

Gray, noticing how he was out numbered backed off. Lucy and Erza were slightly alarmed at how the dragon slayers all jumped in to support Kotone and both thought it might be that Kotone was another dragon slayer.

Only, Erza had the guts to go any farther on the topic, "Are also a dragon slayer?"

Lucy gasped at Erza as Kotone quietly said, "I guess you could call me that."

With this, Kotone started to walk away from the group, but was stopped by Wendy.

"You're going to the guild aren't you?" Wendy asked.

Kotone nodded and made a move to continue walking. Wendy held on and said, "I want to go with you. But, I want to do something else first. Do you mind waiting?"

Kotone shook her head and followed the group to a cemetery. Lisanna reunited with her brother and sister, crying.

Wendy, Natsu, and Gajeel all looked at each other and nodded.

Wendy tugged Kotone's hand and they followed the happy trio to the guild.

Wendy stopped Kotone from entering and said, "Wait a moment, so everyone will be focused on Lisanna and they won't notice you when you go see the Master. In the dream, we felt how uncomfortable you were, so we're doing as much as we can for you. Sorry that it's not much…"

Kotone placed her hand on top of Wendy's head and thanked her, smiling as she did.

Wendy seemed to find something fascinating about her feet as she said, "Um, Kotone? I need to tell you something. In the dream, we experienced everything you did, everything you felt, and everything you thought. Natsu, Gajeel, and I…we're going to be selfish and ask you not to make this choice. You may not be a member of Fairy Tail, but we see you as a comrade. I think that we may know more about you than you do, Kotone. For instance, you don't want anything to do with dragons and you wish to be as human as you possibly can. But, when you smile, there is a sense of other worldly-ness…if that makes sense. You seem inhuman, but in a good way! When you smile from happiness, you look like…you look as if you think everything is perfect. I don't know how to explain it, but we don't want that smile to be extinguished. Please don't make that choice, please."

Kotone listened to Wendy, eyes wide. She didn't think the flute would make such a vivid, accurate dream. She had to blink a few times to get her shock under control.

Kotone moved her hand from the top of Wendy's head, to her chin. She leaned in and kissed her forehead. Quietly, she said, "Thank you young one, for caring. But, all great dreams must come to an end eventually. I can say that because of people like you, I have enjoyed mine."

Kotone stood up straight, from bending over to kiss Wendy's forehead, and touched the handle of the guild's door. Her hand trembled slightly, but she took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door creaked open and Kotone's eyes were greeted with images of crying and celebrating mages. People were singing, jumping, dancing…She couldn't believe there were so many people smiling in one area.

_Makarov, you've raised a magnificent guild_, Kotone thought.

Kotone stepped in and it seemed as if her foot drained the happiness out of everyone there.

Kotone swallowed her nervousness and walked to the bar.

A girl with white hair walked over and asked, "Can I help you?"

Kotone turned and faced the girl. The girl was obviously concerned about the condition Kotone's clothes were in, shredded and dirty. Kotone looked at everyone in the guild to see questioning eyes burrow into her head. She realized that none of them were hostile, or even judgmental, they were honest eyes with good intentions. Kotone didn't feel uncomfortable like she did when she last walked into the guild.

She felt that smile take over her lips. Her eyes closed in the serene atmosphere and she said, "Don't mind me. I'm just looking for someone important to me."

Then, the sound of a cup hitting the floor rang in the silent guild. Everyone turned to look at who caused the sound.

Makarov was standing on top of a table, hand extended. He probably dropped the cup with that hand.

The girl with white hair rushed over to him asking if he was okay.

Makarov didn't seem to hear her, instead he asked, "I'm sorry. It's just that you look like someone I knew long ago. Now young one, what's your name?"

Kotone placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Wow," she said, "it's amazing that I can still be called young at my age. After all I'm more than triple yours Makarov."

Kotone's smile turned into a big toothy grin as Makarov's jaw dropped.

"It couldn't be," he murmured as tears started forming in his eyes. "Your eyes aren't bandaged."

Kotone walked over to the table he was standing on and she was still a little bit taller. Kotone reached into her pocket and pulled out the coil of bandages. She glanced up at Makarov's face as she placed the bandages in his hands, "I worked hard so you could keep these bandages."

Makarov started crying like a baby and Kotone picked him up in the biggest bear hug she could manage.

"I'm sorry I left you behind," she whispered as a few of her own tears crawled down her face.

This only made Makarov cry even harder and Kotone started to scold Makarov for being a softy.

As this went on, Wendy, Natsu, and Gajeel watched from a corner of the room. Wendy and Natsu were crying along with Kotone and Makarov, but Gajeel just leaned against the wall, too cool to cry.

"If she keeps walking on the path she's chosen, the old man's gonna be crushed," Gajeel stated.

Wendy and Natsu nodded, all three silently promising to stop Kotone from making a fatal mistake.

* * *

><p><strong>Miu: Wow, these chapters do take a lot of work! But they are ubber fun and I put off homework just to work on them…glad to know I have my priorities straight right?<strong>

**Kotone: Who wouldn't want to spend time working on perfecting all this? I mean, you gotta say that I'm totally awesome!**

**Miu: Kotone, you're really out of character in my A/Ns…**

**Gajeel: *Pft* ya just noticed?**

***Thwack!***

**Kotone: What was that? I thought I heard an annoying bug, but I guess it was just my imagination.**

**Natsu: Aww! How come Gajeel gets into all the fights in the A/Ns?**

**Miu: Natsu, I promise you'll get a fighting scene in the next chapter. Feel better now?**

**Natsu: *Fists burst into flames* Oh yeah! Who am I fighting against?**

**Miu: Patience is a learned virtue.**

**Nastu: Patience is a what?**

**Wendy: Miu, why are you turning this story into a sad story?**

**Miu: What? I'm doing what?**

***Brother stomps in***

**Bro: I saw you! You ate all of my sushi when I helped mom bring the groceries in!**

**Miu:…that was my long lost identical twin…Kaida….**

**Bro: I'll get you for this! *stomps out***

**Miu: *gulps* totally worth it…Now for the reviews! There was only one from**:

**TheOrangeNeko** who is writing another Fairy Tail story called Water Dragon Slayer. You guys can see how it caught my attention. I thought it was so cool that somebody else came up with the idea of having another dragon slayer! Even though my dragon slayer isn't really a dragon slayer…oh well! Thanks so much for the compliment **TheOrangeNeko**! I can't wait to read your story!


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N Procrastinating is so much fun! I'm at the point where just looking at my homework puts me in a bad mood…yuck. I hate when this happens because then any poor soul who tried to communicate with me gets this death glare. (^.^) on the bright side I scared the crud outta this very disgusting person at school. I don't think that pervert will try to get near me again soon!**

Natsu: Can we get on with the story? I'm all pumped up for my fight!

**Miu: Uhhh, we might need to put that off for a bit. Sorry Natsu…**

Natsu: WHAT? You promised!

**Miu: I'm sorry, I had an epiphany last night and I wanna see if I can add it to this chapter, but I might put it off so you can have your fight scene. Actually, I don't think I write fight scenes very well so your fight might seem dull and boring to the readers.**

Natsu: WHAT?

_Gajeel: Shuddap! Let the girl get on with the story!_

* * *

><p>Kotone gazed dejectedly at the sleeping Makarov in her arms. He looked so peaceful, Kotone felt tears start to form in the corners of her eyes.<p>

Everyone had gone home and it was only Kotone and Makarov in the guild. It seemed eerie to Kotone, who felt the walls' unease at the lack of sound.

Kotone rested her icy forehead on Makarov's wrinkled one, taking comfort in his serenity.

She recalled their conversation right after the last of Makarov's little fairies left, regretting her soft nature.

(FLASH BACK)

"Onee-chan?" Makarov had called.

Kotone face lit up at the old nick-name, "Yes dear?"

Makarov placed a stamp of some kind in front of her. His hand lingered, caressing the handle. His face was determined as he looked up at her face, "I'm asking you the same thing Mavis did. I want you to join my guild."

Kotone's eyes widened and her fists clenched, "Why?" It was blunt and to the point. She saw Makarov flinch at her question and she wanted to apologize. Unfortunately, she knew that Makarov wouldn't tell her unless she asked, so she had to be blunt in order to get answers.

Makarov quickly regained his composure before continuing, "I know you're way above an S-class wizard. You can teach my youngsters some things I can't. I have no idea how old you are, but I know you're ancient…" Makarov glanced at Kotone to make sure he didn't hurt her feelings at the crack at her age. He seemed satisfied by the serious expression she had, for he knew that she knew he meant no offense. "With age comes wisdom, and everyone beside myself are youngsters. It's about time I retire, but I don't have anyone to take over the guild. Erza is the best candidate, but she is still young and has a lot to learn. Gildarts is too destructive, and Mirajane is too soft. Also, you seem to have made an impression on my dragon slayers…

"Besides, if you become part of the guild, you can't leave me behind again."

That last statement had Kotone looking anywhere but at Makarov. The guilt was eating her alive. She wanted to find a rock, a boulder, a deserted island, anywhere that would protect her from his eyes. They were like the fangs of a snake, biting into her and refusing to release.

After building up her courage, she dared to glance at Makarov, but looked away, knowing it would be easier to talk to him if she wasn't looking at him. She said, "I can't become the guild master. Just imagine it, I would still be here generation after generation. I'm over 500 years old now and I look like I just became a teenager! How could anyone trust a girl who doesn't seem to age? I wouldn't be surprised if there was a mutiny if I'm in charge."

"Then just be a member of the guild and work your way up. I would have to classify you as an S-class wizard automatically because it wouldn't be fair for the others who want to be S-class. You would probably wipe them out and then bake them a pie to make up for it."

Kotone chewed on her lip and made the mistake of looking into Makarov's eyes again. His face may have been calm and serious, but his eyes were pleading, begging. In other words, they were slowly ripping her heart in two.

"Are you sure you want someone like me in the guild? I'm not human."

Makarov smiled, knowing he got her, "Your body may change into a dragon, but your heart is the biggest one I've ever seen. Who cares if it's in a dragon?"

Kotone smiled and pulled her hair to one side, "If that's the case, then could I have it here?" She pointed to the right side of her neck.

Makarov jumped up and stamped on a black symbol of Fairy Tail, not noticing the fake smile fade away into nothing.

Makarov grinned and his smile warmed Kotone's heart, even though it was slowly crumbling and being carried away by an unmerciful wind.

"I'm glad," she smiled her last angelic smile, as a tear streaked down her face, "that I was able to make you happy in the end…"

Makarov's eyes closed at the haunting melody and he collapsed into her arms.

(END OF FLASH BACK)

"…Because this time," her voice cracked, "I won't be coming back."

Her lips brushed his forehead and she laid him down on the counter exactly like she did last time. She opened his hand and kissed his palm before placing a little black pouch in it.

She held his hand with the pouch in it, bringing it to her face. She decided to tell him one last thing, even though he wouldn't hear it, "My little brother, I don't know if you'll ever know why I'm doing this, or if you'll forgive me. But, I have no regrets. You were the best family I could ever have, and I'm glad yours was able to expand so greatly."

Kotone looked at the huge empty guild she was standing in, knowing that it would be full the next day. Makarov's family was precious to him and Kotone wanted to protect that no matter what.

She walked out of the guild, watching in despair as the door closed behind her. She wiped the unending tears away as the sight of Makarov, sleeping peacefully, became a sliver and then was gone. She calmed herself, taking in deep breaths, and moved through the night silently.

* * *

><p>Makarov awoke to find his back sore and someone gently nudging him.<p>

"Master? Are you okay? Master?" Mirajane asked.

Makarov rubbed his eyes and looked around. The morning seeped into the empty guild, filling it with fresh air and light.

His head whipped around frantically…but there was no Kotone.

"Mirajane, are any of the mission requests taken?"

"Why no, should there be?"

Makarov fisted his hands, but then he felt something in his right hand. He brought it to his face and saw a little black pouch. He pulled out the string and a white heap came into his sight. It blurred and he rubbed his eyes to make sure they were not deceiving him. In his hand were the bandages Kotone had kept around her eyes for around 400 years.

He took it into his hands and saw scribbles on a part of the bandages. He investigated and saw the scribbles were a note to him from Kotone. On the bandages it said, "This was my life and all I knew for over 400 years. I didn't know it at the time, but this belongs to you. It always did, from the moment I put it on."

Makarov closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. This time he couldn't go after her, he needed to stay at the guild so he wouldn't worry his fairies.

"Mirajane," he called, "where is Natsu?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I don't think I did this chapter justice! It was supposed to be really dramatic and I don't think I did a good job at expressing it!**

Kotone: No, you didn't.

**Miu: Exactly! I'm going to keep this and make sure I get it right!...Okay, I think I fixed it a little bit. It certainly sounds more dramatic, like it should be.**

Kotone: It's a lot better.

**Miu: Yay!**

Natsu: NO FIGHT SCENE?

_Gajeel: SHUDDAP! Can't you go through one review without asking for a fight?_

Natsu: I have!...I think...

**Miu: OOOOOOOOOHHHHH! I'm so excited for what's next!**

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><p><strong>TheOrangeNeko<strong> You're welcome! I'm happy you reviewed just to say thank you!


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N Why hello my lovely readers! I just finished reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream! I am now in the poetic mood for my lovely story that I shall here forth write with my trusty computer for your enjoyment!**

_Gajeel: What is this? You sound like an idiot, Baka…_

Natsu: *grumble*

Kotone: I'm actually kind of looking forward to this chapter...

**Miu: It's a good feeling when my exquisite OCs actually want me to continue on my journey of creativity!**

Kotone: Shut up and write woman.

**Miu: NOOOOOO! STUPID COMPUTER! I STAYED UP TO WRITE THIS DOCUMENT AND IT TOOK ABOUT THREE SECONDS FOR YOU TO DIE ON ME! !...Please excuse my lack of updating in over a month…**

_Gajeel: That's it; I'm getting a cone of shame for you! *puts it on Miu*_

**Miu: T.T ..I deserve this… Also, It kind of concerns me how my story gets a lot of hits but I have such a tiny amount of reviews. It makes me feel like everyone's reading it just to laugh at how bad it is…(shrinks into a tiny corner, eyes watering)…This is probably the result of me telling everyone I won't require a certain amount of reviews before I update. Now I understand what other authors on this site mean when they say reviews make their day. If you don't get any, you feel like you're writing crud and don't have the motivation to keep writing.**

_Gajeel: STOP COMPLAINING! HOW DARE YOU COMPLAIN WHEN YOU HAVEN'T EVEN UPDATED IN OVER A MONTH!_

**Miu: I'm so sorry! I deserve this cone of shame!**

_**Wendy: I thought you said that you'd keep writing because you wanted to tell your story.**_

**Miu: I do and I am. It's just I don't feel a need to write. Do you know what I'm saying?**

_**Wendy: No…**_

**Miu: Oh well, I promise I'll keep writing till Kotone's story is told. I apologize for this long A/N**

* * *

><p>Over in Lucy's apartment, she was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Her eyes opened as she woke up to the clear morning sky and she yawned her appreciation for a good night's sleep. Lisanna was alive and everyone in the guild was super happy to see her again. Then the Master met his good friend that he hasn't seen in a while.<p>

This went through her head as she smiled and sat up. She stretched and looked around her room, "NATSU!"

Natsu, also asleep in Lucy's bed, only pulled the blankets over his head grumbling at being woken.

Happy, next to him, started mumbling about fish and Lucy smiled at the Exceed. Almost every thought that pops into his head, whether awake or asleep, is fish.

Lucy's smile disappeared as she glanced at her couch. There he was, Gray, just as she expected. His blankets were thrown onto the ground, which was to be expected of the ice mage.

Lucy got up and stretched, knowing Erza was probably in the kitchen, making breakfast.

It was times like these that reminded Lucy how much Fairy Tail is like a family. Everyone knows no boundaries of personally space, just like any other brother or sister. But, she loves them so much that she doesn't really care anymore.

Lucy got up and went to her tidy desk. She went through her normal routine of pulling out a sheet of paper and getting a pen ready.

_Dear Mom,_

_Believe it or not, I was teleported to a world where magic is used in objects. There were no dragon slayers or ice mages there. The only mages there were the people who created a guild and used magical weapons to earn a living. I guess in a way, it wasn't so different from our way of living on Earthland. I use keys with my magic, but I do summon other magical beings so I could understand why everyone in Edolas was shocked by my magic._

_It's weird Mom, it was only last night on Earthland when I was teleported, but I was in Edolas for a few days…_

_DOES THAT MEAN MY LIFE-SPAN ON EARTH HAS BEEN SHORTENED BECAUSE I LIVED ON EDOLAS FOR A LITTLE WHILE?_

_Oh well, if I had the chance to change anything about my journey, I wouldn't change a thing. I got to meet Edo-Lucy and she's pretty cool. _

_Oh yeah, that's right, forgot to tell you that in Edolas, there were mirror images of everyone in Fairytail. There was even another Fairytail guild over in Edolas. Also, even if they looked like us and had the same name as us, they were completely different people._

_That reminds me...We brought two people back with us that didn't go to Edolas with us. Lisanna, that girl I told you about before, she was in Edolas this whole time! I'm happy Mirajane and Elfman get to see their little sister again._

_The other girl is someone I've never met or heard of before. She knows the master though, so she can't be someone bad. Just upon seeing her, Master broke down in tears. So I think this girl is Master's Lisanna. Also, it seems Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel got to know her pretty well while in Edolas. It has me wondering if she's a dragon slayer as wel-_

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**

Lucy jumped at the pounding on her door. She grabbed her heart that was pounding in her chest and the closest thing to her, which so happened to be the chair she was sitting in.

Lucy slowly got up and raised the chair over her head, not aware that Grey had woke up and opened the door while she was preparing her battle weapon.

Grey was startled by the sight of a disheveled Mirajane, panting, in the doorway.

Chair still above her head, Lucy looked over Grey's shoulder. "Mirajane? What are you doing here so early? Why aren't you wearing a jacket, it's freezing outside!" Lucy exclaimed.

Erza walked in from the kitchen, carrying a tea. She took in Mirajane's current condition and handed her the tea. "You should come in, it's warmer than out there."

Mirajane nodded her thanks as she stepped inside and accepted the offered tea.

Once inside, she scanned the room and spotted Natsu in Lucy's bed. Immediately she started scrambling over there, handing the tea back and tripping over her feet in the process. Desperately crawling to the bed, Mirajane shook Natsu with all the strength she could muster.

Natsu grunted at being awaken the second time that morning. Not accepting this, Mirajane put her freezing hands on either side of Natsu's face, which had him bolting upright.

"What is that?" he yelled, rubbing his now cold face.

Mirajane, almost finished catching her breath, said, "Kotone…Master said she fled in the night…he wants you…Wendy, and Gajeel to form a team and stop her. According to Master, she joined the guild last night but she wouldn't leave immediately, without taking a mission request, unless it was something important."

Natsu's face was rapidly changing. When Mirajane mentioned Kotone leaving, his face went pale. Then when she said she joined the guild, a slight smile played at the corners of his lips, but then vanished almost immediately and his face turned ghost white. By the end of Mirajane's speech, his face had gone an one-eighty and became bright red with anger. Natsu stood up as his mind comprehended all the information and made sense of it. His face calmed and became one of grim determination.

Mirajane, who finally caught her breath said, "Natsu, please make sure Kotone comes back safely. Don't let Master suffer like Elfman and me. It's a pain no one should experience."

Happy hopped onto Natsu's shoulder yelling AYE!

"Tell Wendy and Gajeel to catch up, I'm going on ahead. Also, tell them that I think that this is…the choice. Yeah, tell them I think she made her choice," Natsu said, opening the window and hopping out.

Erza leaned out the window, "I'm coming as well, wait a moment." She glanced at Grey and Lucy, saying, "According to what Natsu told me, he's not going to be able to handle Kotone by himself. Are you guys coming?"

"When did he tell you this?" Lucy shrieked.

Erza replied, "During the party last night." She hoped out the window.

Grey sighed, "This is gonna be such a pain." He picked up Lucy and hoped out the window before she could protest.

"Whhhyyyy?" Lucy screamed as they dropped to the ground.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, somewhere outside Magnolia, Kotone was walking at a steady pace, almost at her destination.<p>

Periodically she would stop, turn around and run. Run as fast as she could. But then, she would stop, turn around, and reluctantly walk back in the original direction she was going.

Kotone was hardly gaining any ground with her mind in combat with herself. She wanted to save everyone, but she didn't want to have to hurt Makarov in the process. She wanted to accept who she was, but she wanted to reject it passionately. She wanted to end her constant fear, but she didn't want to face it anytime soon. But she had to do it and she knew this. She would eventually get there, but not without prolonging it as much as she can.

Then she froze, praying her sensitive ears deceived her…but they weren't.

"…._Natsu slow down!_..."

Kotone felt the icy dagger of fear penetrate her heart and seep into her bones, filling her bloodstream. Panic…guilt…madness…these emotions fed the dagger of fear, consuming her in adrenalin. She knew full well that if the dragon slayers got her, she would be persuaded into leading them to their destruction.

_No, no, no, NO! Why am I so slow in this form? How is he so fast?_ Kotone thought as she sprinted down the path. _Dang it! He's almost here! Ugf!_

Kotone was eating dirt as something tackled her from behind. She rolled onto her back so she could cough up the dirt and gravel that filled her lungs. She didn't have much time before she felt a weight on her stomach and was yanked up by the collar of her shirt.

"Why?" Natsu yelled into her face. "You could live a happy life in Fairytail! Why do you choose to die?"

Kotone listened and didn't hear any sound for miles. She could handle one of the three, but not all at once. She sighed in relief and looked up into Natsu's ferocious eyes with guilt, sadness, and all the pain reflected from all her years, so much pain.

She lifted her hand and brushed the dirt out of Natsu's hair, catching him off guard. "You're so young and full of possibilities. Who am I to take that away from you?" Kotone smiled weakly and more than a little sadly. "I'm tired. That dream you had of me. You only saw about a hundred years. I've lived hundreds youngling. The pain of losing loved ones, having them be repulsed by you, I've experienced it numerous times. I'm a fool who kept hoping I would get a different outcome after every time I made friends. All of them ended up with being repulsed by my dragon form. Natsu, do you remember that time when Igneel disappeared?"

Natsu's face lost its anger during the conversation and now it was serious, "How could I forget?"

Kotone chuckled without humor, "Silly me, your right. I'm sorry. But, what if he didn't disappear? What would you have done when he suddenly turned around and threw rocks at you? What if he called you vile names and hit you, telling you that he never wanted to see you again?" A tear formed in the corner of Kotone's eye. Her face became twisted in anger as she yelled, "THAT HAPPENED TO ME COUNTLESS TIMES! I've NEVER received any kind of love in my life! Makarov is the only exception! He still wanted to travel with me after he saw my true form! I know that Makarov loves me. I'm his Onee-chan, but I've never been comforted by anyone but myself. Even my Edolas copy knew I wanted someone, anyone to just come up and hug me. A hug, such a simple thing I have never received…Why I'm telling you this I don't know. You three dragon slayers know more about me than anyone else in my lifetime.

"I'm at the point where I hurt so much inside that I want to die. The only thing that's holding me back is Makarov. That boy is the only family I have, so I will die so he can live."

Kotone was met with a blinding, direct hit to her face. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!" Natsu yelled.

_People are coming…_

"Suicide is not an option! It's never an option! Suicide is mass murder!"

Kotone glanced at him curiously. "What?" she managed to say with her swollen cheek.

"Suicide is mass murder. It kills everyone. We'll die on the inside if you die. That mark on your neck makes you nakama! Fairytail will suffer now if you die."

Kotone glanced at the new audience they had. Lucy, Grey, and Erza were watching, wide eyed at Natsu's statement.

Kotone didn't bother looking up at Natsu again, but addressed him and everyone else with her statement, "You can't stop me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Again I am so sorry for the late update! *cone of shame***

**On another note, I will be accepting three OCs if anyone wants to contribute to the story. This is the format I would like you to either review or PM me:**

Name:

Magic:

Hair:

Eyes:

Clothes:

Age:

Other (optional):


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N Hello Hello! This just in, I am on Thanksgiving break and I will probably post this on Thanksgiving. Yes, pilgrims and Indians got together and had a big feast so the future generations could have an excuse to get together and eat as many carbs as they want. If you're like me, and just eat whatever you want all the time, then you just have a bigger variety of carbs to eat. Fun, fun, fun! Okay, I'm sorry, but it seems I have an issue with my "U" button. I have to press it like five times in order for it to magical appear on my computer screen. I think I'll manage somehow, like I did with this intro.**

_Gajeel: WHY DO YOU TAKE SO LONG WITH THESE INTROS?_

**Me: As you can see, some people don't appreciate your yelling at me. Please stop.**

_Gajeel: Why should I listen to you?_

**Me: I could make you be nice to me by changing your character into a princess loving, passive, girly-girl, angelic, creature that does no wrong.**

_Gajeel:….Point taken._

**Me: Looks who's got the power **_**now**_** suckers!**

Kotone: Get on with the story. We're not interested in your babbling.

**Me: Very well. OOOOOOOOHHHHH IMPORTANT NOTICE! The OCs that I am accepting, I've changed my mind about how many I'm going to accept. If I like your OC It will be mentioned and he/she/it will play a role. I can't choose only three and there are more spots that I was going to fill as miscellaneous characters that I thought of off the top of my head. I figured that you guys would like that. ALSO the three OC spots that I mentioned in my last chapter are going to play a major part in my story. I will be accepting OCs until December. **

* * *

><p>Natsu was shell-shocked by the story Kotone told him, but at the sound of a challenge, he became animated.<p>

"What do you mean we can't stop you? I could knock you out right here if I wanted to," He stated.

Grey stepped in saying, "Even if that doofus over there somehow missed and you managed to get out of his hold, you would have all of us to deal with."

Kotone's face expressed a crooked smile as she looked at the sky. She barked a laugh and replied with, "Natsu's the only one here that has seen some of my magic, but I doubt he's figured out the depth of my magic. To make it easier on you guys, I'll even let Natsu tell you what he knows. In actuality, I don't even need to fight in order to get away. I promise not to use my sleep lullaby on one condition though." She looked back at Natsu, who was still pinning her down. Her hand whipped up and snatched the collar of his shirt, making it impossible for him to turn away. She leaned up as far as she could and Natsu, being a dragon slayer with exceptional hearing, could hardly hear her whisper, "If you tell them I'm a dragon, I won't hesitate for another second on making this choice."

Natsu's eyes widened as he comprehended what that meant, but only for a second. He only had a moment to think before his face met gravel.

Erza equipped immediately and took a defensive stance. _She's fast_, was the only thought Erza could manage before she was knocked into a tree.

Grey and Lucy could only gawk at the scene in front of them. Three seconds an Natsu was spread eagle and Erza had the wind knocked out of her.

"Crud," Grey commented as he put his fist on his palm. "Ice-make…"

Kotone's face was millimeters away from Grey's. Grey gasped and backed up, losing his concentration.

Lucy made a grab for her keys, but her hands came up empty.

Kotone held them up as she stood in the center of the mayhem, "Don't. You shouldn't use up your magic power summoning your spirits. They won't be helpful and you only waste your magic."

Lucy pulled out her whip, "I can still try!"

Kotone sighed as she side stepped, the whip missing her by inches, "If that's the case then let me see which keys might be helpful…..." Kotone's eyebrow rose in surprise, "Wow, you've collected a lot. I hope you're not like the last celestial mage I met. She was horrible to her spirits…Well," she side stepped Grey's ice-spear, "Aries wouldn't be helpful…Leo would be useless…Aquarius, she's annoying and you don't have any water nearby to summon her with anyway…Cancer! Oh my, Cancer gave me a haircut once! It would be a little hard for me to hurt him so he's the best chance you have at touching me…Virgo is just creepy, always asking for punishment…Yeah, if you really want to use your magic then you should go with Cancer."

Now Erza had regained her breath and Natsu was standing, all of them stared at Kotone in amazement. All wondering how she could know the keys so well.

Kotone just calmly walked over to Lucy and held out the ring of keys. Lucy hesitantly held out her own hand for the keys, but was surprised when Kotone placed the ring in her hand. Kotone held the keys there, hand wrapped around Lucy's, "Just use Cancer if you really want to waste magic. But please don't. Please, don't. They'll need you. Trust me. You'll need that magic at a later time. Please, trust me."

Lucy was taken aback at the look in Kotone's eyes, pure sincerity. Lucy was at a loss at how to respond.

Lucy didn't have to though, Natsu came roaring, "How can she trust someone who is trying to abandon her guild?"

Kotone picked up Lucy and jumped up, landing on Natsu's back as his punch hit air.

Kotone picked up her foot and pushed Natsu's face into the ground with it, "BAKA! You would have hit Lucy if I didn't move her! Here you go." She placed Lucy on the ground, leaving Lucy speechless.

Kotone's head tilted back, narrowly missing Grey's ice-spear and Erza's sword.

"Impatient are we? Don't you want Natsu to tell you what magic I use?" Kotone commented with her crooked smile.

"Mrrph erfff murrr phead," Natsu said, into the dirt.

Kotone lifter her foot, "What was that?"

"I SAID GET OFF MY HEAD!" He screamed, blood vessel popping.

Kotone smiled without emotion, "Sorry about that. Now, if everyone would calmly listen to Natsu, we can start fighting seriously."

_She wasn't even fighting seriously?_ Erza thought. _This isn't an opponent to be taken lightly…According to Natsu's report, he said he fought alongside her in Edolas. He said she was good, but not this good_.

"My, my," Kotone said, "looks like someone has already heard a little something about me." Kotone looked out of the corner of her eye at Erza, looking almost bored.

_She's not bored...she's silently showing me the darkness of the situation. This journey she's taking must have a significant meaning behind it_, Erza thought.

As fast as the darkness had come, it was gone again with that humorless smile of hers. Kotone calmly stepped back, in no rush at all. She watched as Erza lowered her weapon, understanding.

Grey followed Erza's example and his spear disappeared. Natsu rolled until he was sitting up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sound. Her element is sound," he stated.

"Care to elaborate for them? Once the fight starts, you won't get a chance to say another word," Kotone said.

_Why is she making it harder for her? Wouldn't it be easier if we didn't know the details of her abilities? _Lucy thought, _Unless…_

"Well, there something weird with her eyes. Other than that, there's not much to tell…" Natsu said.

Kotone sighed, "Well I didn't expect much, but seriously. The dream didn't show you anything about it?"

Grey's expression was clearly confused as he asked, "Dream?"

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," Kotone replied.

Natsu was silent, making Kotone sigh again. "Very well, who wants to try first?" Kotone asked.

Erza dove in with her sword, making several rapid swings that blurred into a silver blob. Each time, Kotone would narrowly miss the sword, dodging with ease and grace.

"Ice-make floor!" Grey yelled as the ground became covered in ice.

Grey's eyes widened as he saw his ice floor shatter into microscopic shards of ice, seconds after he created it.

"What happened?" Grey asked himself.

"It's because you use such cruddy magic!" Natsu yelled, jumping over Erza with a flaming fist.

"DON'T ALARM YOUR ENEMY OF WHERE YOU ARE BEFORE YOU ATTACK BAKA!" Kotone yelled.

Erza drew back to get out of Natsu's way, going to say the same thing as Kotone.

Kotone easily dodged and caught Natsu's arm, twisting it behind his back. "When you alarm your enemy of where you are, it gives them plenty of time to think of a counter attack," Kotone pushed Natsu into Grey. "Ice-mage! Stop trying to use your magic, it's just wasteful!"

Grey looked at his hands, trying to think of a way to make it possible to use his magic.

"Dang it!" Erza yelled as she tossed her sword to the ground. "Looks like we're going to have to depend on our martial arts."

"Wait, why can't Erza use her swords?" Lucy asked no one in particular.

"Because they're dull and useless," Happy replied.

Lucy screamed and jumped at the voice next to her. "I forgot you were here as well Happy."

Happy went off into a dark corner mumbling, "Lucy's mean."

"Why can't we use our magic?" Natsu exclaimed, trying to fire up his fist.

Kotone sighed, "Looks like the only intelligent ones here are Erza and the Exheed."

Happy beamed at the praise, coming out of his dark corner.

"Think about it for a moment. What is sound?" Kotone asked.

A light bulb went off in Grey's head, "It's vibrations…"

"Yes. Sound is a vibration that travels through air. Basically I control vibrations and how they affect my surroundings. Your ice is pummeled to pieces by the vibrations and Erza's swords get dull by the constant rubbing of vibrations on her swords. Natsu's fire is a simple chemical reaction. I use the vibrations to move all the oxygen away from his fire, so his fire dies out," Kotone explained.

"Then why did you tell me not to use my keys?" Lucy asked.

"I told you, it would be pointless, just like Grey's ice. In fact, I could make it so you can't call out your spirits. All celestial mages need to call their spirits out by calling the gate. Besides, I've met a few of your spirits, most won't react positively to seeing me. They wouldn't want their owner to see them like that."

Lucy gritted her teeth, "Natsu's right, how can I trust someone who is abandoning their family?" Lucy pulled out her keys, "Tarus the bull!"

A bell rang as Tarus appeared in a puff of smoke, "Lucy! What do you need me to do in order to protect that gorgeous body of yours?"

Focused and ignoring the perverted comment, "This girl recently joined the guild, but now she's trying to leave."

Tarus turned around to see Kotone slightly turned away, watching them emotionlessly as the wind picked up her silver what and twirled it in the wind.

Tarus' jaw dropped as his entire body started to tremble. His axe slowly came up as his knees clanked together. Everyone was silent, watching this unusual reaction.

"Her?" Tarus asked.

Kotone turned to fully face the bull, "Your owner has called you out to fight, don't dishonor her by disobeying a direct command. No matter who the opponent is, do not hesitate to take action on a command."

Tarus took a step back, "You should be dead…The last time I saw you was over 300 years ago…"

Confused, Lucy asked, "Have you met her before?"

"A few times, unfortunately under very bad circumstances. I told you if you were going to bring out a spirit, you should have brought out Cancer. Tarus isn't going to be much help to you as he is," Kotone replied.

Lucy brought out her whip, "Tarus, can you fight?"

"Y-yes! If Lucy demands it, I will fight. Lucy, do you know who you're up against?" He shakily asked.

"No, and we're going to keep it that way if they want to be able to walk tomorrow," Kotone answered.

Tarus gulped as a determined look came over his face, "Very well."

"That goes for you too Nastu," Kotone said, looking over her shoulder.

"I know," he grumbled.

Kotone looked back over to Tarus, "Tarus, it's okay if you want to go back. I know you're not my biggest fan."

Steam came out of Tarus' nose as he flexed his muscles, "That may be true, but I will protect Lucy."

Kotone nodded, "Very well. If it's any comfort to you, I promised Natsu I wouldn't use all of my magical abilities. This means that bell on your neck won't bring Lucy any serious harm this time around."

Tarus seemed to physically sigh in relief, moments before he was knocked into the same tree Erza was. The axe flew out of his hands and Kotone caught it and effortlessly swung it around to catch Grey in the stomach with the flat side of the axe.

Erza reequipped into her Flight Armor, increasing her speed to match Kotone's. She rapidly punched at Kotone, but Kotone dodged everyone with enough time to poke Erza's stomach.

"Are you mocking me?" Erza asked.

"Not exactly, you'll feel that soon enough," Kotone replied, moving like a blur.

"Stop moving around so much!" Natsu yelled, trying to keep up with Kotone.

Kotone appeared behind Natsu, "As you wish." She brought the flat side of the axe up and practically threw it into Natsu's back.

Natsu screamed as he flew into the sky.

Tarus then came charging, bell ringing. Kotone simply side stepped and continued to do so with ease.

Grey snuck up behind her and swung his leg. He took her feet out from underneath her, but she used the momentum and brought the handle of the axe around. She took Tarus' feet out from underneath him and he fell onto Grey as Kotone slid out of the way.

Kotone lifted her hand and caught Lucy's whip, ripping it out of her hands and swung it over to connect with Erza. The whip wrapped around Erza's stomach and Kotone pulled so Erza flew at her. Kotone caught Erza and gently unwrapped the whip.

It was only then that Lucy realized that Erza was grabbing her stomach in agony.

"You need to lie down on your back. The pain will go away faster like that," Kotone murmured as she laid Erza on the ground.

Lucy looked up, hearing screaming. Natsu came rushing down, falling onto Tarus and Grey, who were about to get up, knocking them back to the ground.

Kotone didn't even raise her head at them, but looked at Erza's face twisted in pain, "It's only the muscles contracting. Don't worry it's not serious, it's just annoying." Kotone glanced at Lucy and tossed the whip back to Lucy. "Don't you know how to use a whip? Your aim is terrible. Come on, I'll give you some pointers."

Kotone stood up and walked a little ways away from Erza, waiting.

Lucy glanced over at Grey, Tarus, and Natsu and she forced Tarus' gate closed. Natsu fell onto Grey a second time, causing Grey to moan in pain.

"Natsu, Grey, are you guys okay?" she yelled.

Kotone was silent as they didn't respond for a couple of minutes. Lucy looked at her in fear and felt her hands start to tremble.

"They're fine. Grey's muscles have taken quite a beating from Tarus' bell. Natsu on the other hand, well his own screaming did that to him. The brain is scrambled, sending mixed signals all over in his body. Hhhmmm, I knew it was going to be easier if I fought without a blindfold, but this is ridiculous," Kotone said to no one in particular. "Well, I guess I do have a lot more experience than them, but aren't they supposed to be one of the strongest teams in Fairytail? My gosh Makarov, what have you been teaching these kids?"

Lucy was still frozen, shocked by how quickly and effortlessly Kotone had taken out her team. "What are you?" she asked.

Kotone, brought out of the little monologue, looked back at Lucy, almost as if she'd forgotten that Lucy was there. The smile she gave Lucy was pure, the kind that would light up a room filled with freezing darkness. The answer she gave seemed wrong to be coming out of such a pure expression, "Oh me? I'm a monster."

Lucy was shocked that she said it without a shred of remorse or regret. To Lucy, it looked as if Kotone had accepted the fact and was perfectly at ease with it.

"Don't worry," Kotone continued, "I'll be gone soon so you won't have to be uneasy about me for too long."

Lucy felt her knees lock as Kotone turned toward her and started walking. Lucy found herself unable to breath, the terror was over whelming.

Kotone was inches away and Lucy could only watch as Kotone put her hand on the side of her face. Lucy felt how warm the hand was and it melted her frozen limbs.

"Lucy. What a pretty name. Would you mind doing me a favor? I would like you to tell Natsu and the others," Kotone whispered in her ear, "to save me from myself."

Then everything went black.

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><p><strong>AN ANOTHER CLIFFY! My "U" button fixed itself somehow so it became a lot easier to type this. Yay! I was able to get this finished by Thanksgiving!**

Kotone: I'm so confused. What is my personality in this? One chapter I'll be a sobbing mess and then in this one I'm this super powerful girl who is in control of everything, practically cocky…What the heck?

**Miu: You're a drama queen sweetheart. You're practically bipolar.**

_Gajeel: HOW COME I-I mean, how come I don't have any lines in this?_

**Miu: Because Wendy was slowing you down and you weren't able to make it there in time…**

_**Wendy: I'm sorry Gajeel. It's my fault we didn't get any lines**_**.**

Natsu: YES! I finally got a fight scene…but I sucked! How can we lose?

**Miu: Knowing you, you would have somehow gotten up and continued to fight even if the lower half of your body was gone. Knowing this, Kotone was smart enough and made it so that even if you wanted to get up, it would be impossible because of your brain was sending signals randomly.**

Natsu: Well I'll get you next time!

**Mui: Now for reviews.**

**017Bluefield **Thank you. Gajeel said he promises not to yell at me as much now…as long as I don't make him a goody two-shoes…

**AquaMiyuki** Thanks for the OC! I think I'm going to use her as one of the three OCs I mentioned last time. So look out for her! She's gonna kick butt!

**Well that's all the reviews I got this time, but they made me super happy! I'm not even joking when I say that I screamed like a little girl and did a happy dance. They made my day. So do all of the alerts that tell me people favorited this story. I looked at the profiles of the people who did this and I was so honored to have my story under this one guy's favorites. His stories dated back to 2008 and he's only favorited about 15 stories. MADE MY FRICKEN DAY! I love you guys so much right now that I wrote nonstop to get this chapter for you. Of course I kept deleting and editing it to almost perfection…since perfection doesn't exist. Unless you're talking about ice cream…that's just amazing…WEEEEELLLLL I hope you all are having pumpkin pie (for my US readers) or just having a good time and yummy food. I might not be able to update real soon due to finals, but I will try not to EVER AGAIN UPDATE OVER A MONTH LATER! *cone of shame***


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N I'm so in the spirit to write this so I'm going to write as much as I can today.**

* * *

><p>When Lucy woke up, the first thought that ran through her head was: <em>What's on my face?<em>

Her hand came up and wiped the substance off and looked at it.

_It's water…Tears?_

Lucy sat up, looking at her surroundings. Erza, Natsu, and Grey were all lined up next to her and everyone was lying on a pile of leaves. Happy was gently pushing on Natsu to get him up. Upon closer inspections, she noticed everyone had a streak on their faces, all from tears that were not their own.

The first one to wake up was Natsu. He bolted upright and slowly lifted his hand. He moved each finger individually and grinned. "Alright," he said, "I have control of my body again. Happy! We're going after Kotone!"

He looked around and saw Lucy awake.

"We're waiting for Wendy and Gajeel," Lucy stated.

Natsu stood up, "Why? We're just wasting time as Kotone gets further and further away."

Lucy looked at Erza and Grey, still passed out.

"We won't be able to help her until we get back up. As you saw, we aren't a match for her when she isn't even fighting seriously. You noticed didn't you? She was reprimanding us every time we did something wrong. Correcting us, giving us advice, making it easier for us…Natsu, she wanted us to win. It was like she was training us," Lucy replied.

Natsu's face darkened as Lucy told him what he already knew. "When she was telling me the condition for her not to use magic while fighting us," Natsu said, "that if I broke the condition, she wouldn't hesitate for another second about her choice. She's been fighting herself and she even told Wendy that she didn't want to make the choice. She knows what the right choice is, and she's forcing herself to choose it. There is another way that doesn't include this choice, but the price is too high and she refuses to choose it."

Lucy rubbed her head, trying to make sense of what Natsu said. "Wait," she began, "what is this choice you keep going on about? You said something like this to Mirajane as well. What choice is so bad that she wants to abandon everyone?"

Erza and Grey woke up during the conversation and were listening intently. They were curious and wanted to know as well.

Natsu's hands fisted as his face twisted in anger, "The problem isn't which choice she makes. It's what she plans to do after the choice that is. The choice is a something her father made a long time ago when she ran away. That idiot threatened to go on a rampage and kill thousands of people if she didn't return to him a certain amount of time. In two days, it will be that certain amount of time. The choice is either her freedom or the lives of thousands. She couldn't accept staying with her father, so he gave her another option. She could keep her freedom if she chose to take part in a ritual that would rip out her humanity."

Erza sat up, grabbing her stomach, "You mean she would die?"

"No," Natsu said, "it means that she wouldn't have a human form to change into."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Wendy was trying to keep up with Gajeel. She was stumbling and running to keep up with his brisk pace.<p>

"Gajeel! *pant pant* Do you think *pant pant* we could go *pant* a little slower?" she asked in between breathes.

Gajeel frowned as he stopped, picking up the little girl. He started running as Wendy desperately clung for life.

"We need to pick up the pace, not slow down!" Gajeel replied.

"I'm sorry I'm so slow. It's my fault we're so far behind the others," Wendy apologized.

Gajeel's frown deepened, "Well we can't dwell in the past, it's too late to change how much ground we covered. But maybe we can make up for lost time."

As Gajeel sprinted to catch up to Natsu and the others, Kotone was taking her time. She would periodically stop and look at her destination, second guessing her decision…

* * *

><p>"Wait, what do you mean she wouldn't be able to change into a human form? Isn't she human?" Grey asked.<p>

Natsu sat down in a huff and grumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

"I would be breaking the condition if I told you anymore," Natsu replied.

Lucy, Grey, and Erza all shared a look.

"Wait!" Happy yelled.

Everyone looked at the cat, wondering what he could have to say on the subject.

"Kotone told Natsu that if he broke the condition then she would use her magic, right?" he asked. Everyone nodded. "Well," he continued, "she didn't say anything about Gajeel and Wendy! They know what's going on and they won't lose anything by telling you! Is that right Natsu?"

Natsu's face light up as he picked up Happy, "You're a genius!"

Then, just as Natsu said this, Gajeel came running by and passed them. All was quite as they looked down the path.

"What?" was all Lucy could manage to say.

Then Gajeel came running back, "Why is everyone lying around? We need to catch up to Kotone!"

Lucy stood up, "Erza and Grey need medical attention. We can't go on until they're healed."

Wendy squirmed out of Gajeel's grip, "I'm here! Let me see them!"

Wendy went to Erza seeing she had it the worst. It was a relief to everyone to see Erza's face relax.

"There, you should be fine. It's a good thing that this type of muscle is easy to heal. You were very lucky," Wendy remarked as she moved onto Grey.

"We weren't lucky," Erza stated. "She never meant to hurt us in the first place. It was only a delaying tactic. She probably even knew that you wouldn't have a problem healing us."

"Who? Kotone? You mean Kotone did this to you? That's impossible, Kotone may be strong, but she's not powerful enough to take all of you on at once," Wendy said.

Natsu looked at Wendy with a serious expression, "What we saw in Edolas was nothing compared to what she showed us today."

Gajeel looked curious, "You mean she's a better fighter than Erza?"

"She has years and years of experience over all of us, even over Gramps. Not to mention all those years were when she was blindfolded. She was even going easy on us. Not to mention she knew everything about Lucy's keys! How is that even possible?" Natsu exclaimed.

"How old is Kotone, she looks to be a little older than Wendy. She can't be older than Master, it's impossible to look that young when you're older than Master," Lucy remarked.

Wendy suddenly became focused with her work on Grey and Gajeel looked at the path. Natsu was the only one who didn't look away. "They need to know if they're going to understand what we're fighting for," he said.

Wendy bit her lip and Gajeel glanced at them. He sighed and said, "Kotone is a dragon."

The three were speechless, even Happy.

Wendy finished with Grey and said softly, "Kotone is over 500 years old. She's been in agony for a vast majority of that time. Her mother was human, that's why she can take on a human form. She used to only be in her human form when she lost her sense of sight. She practiced for a long time in order to walk the earth as she is now."

"Her adoptive father is Acnologia, the dragon that thinks of humans as insects that need to be squashed. He could care less if he killed all of us. Even I wouldn't want to go back to living with him," Gajeel stated.

"Kotone doesn't want anyone to get hurt, so she knew immediately that she would eventually go back. It's been about 400 years since she last saw her father. Just two more days…that's all we have to convince her not to kill herself," Wendy murmured.

"Wait! She's going to kill herself?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Would you want to stay with that monster of a dragon?" Gajeel asked.

Monster….It rang in Lucy's head.

"Do you know if Kotone has met any other dragon than Acnologia?" She asked.

"No, she hasn't," all three answered at once, in a sigh.

"While we were fighting Kotone, I asked her what she was. Her reply was 'a monster'. Do you think that she maybe believes that all dragons are monsters because of Acnologia?" Lucy asked.

Wendy thought for a moment, "That is a possibility. It would make sense, seeing as she was constantly shunned and attacked because she was a dragon."

"Lucy," Erza said, "I think you know what Kotone is going through better than any of us. You ran away from your father and it put all of us in danger. The difference is that Kotone doesn't have the same support as you did and she doesn't even know the people she's trying to save."

"That's true," Grey commented, "it may be that only Lucy can really persuade Kotone to live after she goes with her father."

Lucy felt the pressure and started shaking her head in denial. "What could I do? I can't go up to her and tell her I know how she feels! That would be a lie because I don't know what it's like to be a human-dragon hybrid. I don't think anyone knows what it's like beside Kotone. She's all alone and no one can understand what she's going through at all."

Natsu stood up and his hands fisted so hard that you could hear the joints of his fingers popping in protest. "You're wrong," he stated. "Wendy, Gajeel, and I, we know exactly how hard this is for her. I refuse to let her die this way. Everything she's been through, to have it all amount to nothing? I can't accept that!"

Wendy also stood up, looking at Lucy. "I don't know what Erza's talking about, but if you really have even experienced partial the pain Kotone's felt. Then I'm sure you can get across to her. She knows she can be persuaded by us," indicating Gajeel, Natsu, and herself, "and that's why she escaped in the night and why she handicapped all of us. I wouldn't be surprised if she took out Natsu first, seeing as he saw the dream."

Natsu's teeth gritted as he fought his urge to go sprinting after Kotone right then. Grey stood up, wounds healed, and asked, "What is this dream? Kotone mentioned it earlier."

Gajeel leaned on a nearby tree and said, "She has created a magical device that amplifies her magic power into a lullaby puts you into a deep sleep and during that slumber, you dream her life."

"Her life?" Happy asked.

Wendy nodded, "In the dream you see her life story play out. She showed it to us to save the precious time we had left in Edolas. She also did it so then we wouldn't see her as a monster…" A light bulb went on in Wendy's head and she gasped with excitement. She ran over to Lucy and hugged her, "Lucy you're a genius!"

"I am?" she asked.

"Yes! She does view dragons as monsters! That why she said that she was a monster! It all makes sense now! This is why she ran away from Master all those years ago. This is why she's running away again! When Master found out she was a dragon, she ran away, scared he would call her a monster. That's why when she was gone she was working so hard to stay in her human shape without the blindfold. So he could see her as a human, not a dragon in disguise. Then, when she was forced to become a dragon in order to save us from the collapsing pillar in Edolas, she showed us the dream, hoping we would be able to understand her. It's because we were dragon slayers that she offered to show us the dream. She thought that since we were also raised by 'monsters' we would be able to tell the difference between her and the dragons. Then we have what we're doing right now. She's going to her father so she can save the people who have accepted her. She's not going to take part in the ritual because she despises being part dragon, she's not going to choose becoming a real dragon. Then her freedom is what she's going to give up. She's going to give up all of her freedom, all of it."

Everyone was silent, the logic making sense to all of them. Everyone glanced at each other, silently making sure they weren't the only ones shocked. Wendy stood, determined that she had come up with the correct reason Kotone was doing this.

"Well," Gray said, drawing everyone's attention, "what are we waiting for?"

Natsu grinned as he yelled his agreement, the others joining in. Everyone stood and walked onto the path Kotone was on. The path that would end in despair and tragedy, despite their determined footsteps, would leave footprints on Kotone's soul.

* * *

><p><strong>AN SUCCESS! What was that? three chapters up in one week? BOOOYAAAHH! I'm so happy! I might even be forgiven for not updating in over a month! I will admit, the next chapter will probably not come for a while due to HW and finals and all that other fun stuff.**  
><strong>Also, the OC deadline has been extended. I thought it over and realised that a lot of people are on vacation and might not have internet connection. The new deadline is December 10, 2011. I actually argued with myself over this for a while. I have been getting a steady stream of OCs which makes me really happy. Not so many that I'm overwhelmed, but I've gotten enough to give me that happy feeling people get when someone tells them "Good Job" after putting a lot of work in a project.<strong>

**I DO NOT WANT TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO OFFER AN OC! If someone wants to give me an OC on December 10, they have just as much of a chance to get a big role as the first person who offered an OC.**

Happy: I want to offer one!

**Miu: Really? That's great! Want to tell me about your character?**

Happy: He's a fish! A ginormous fish that is rainbow colored and has enough meat to last a lifetime!

**Miu:...I had a feeling you would say something like that...but that actually not a bad idea. With some tweaks I could actually use him...**

**A/N Holly crud monkeys! I just thought of that on the spot and I think I'm going to use it!**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N I'm sick, so I decided to write as I am and try to update. Ugh, the deadline for OCs is coming up soon…hurry if you want to have your OC mentioned!**

_**Wendy: You mean I get to meet new people?**_

**Miu: Only if people submit OCs.**

_Gajeel: Am I going to get to fight them?_

**Miu: A few…maybe.**

Kotone: Why am I so bipolar? I don't understand…

**Miu: All drama queens are bipolar, I would know since I am an utmost drama queen right here!**

Kotone: What do you mean?

**Miu: I'm Cho-Chang ya'll! Who will I have ice-cream with? *sobs* that was so sad! Poor Roxas! I haven't played that game in such a long time! I'm currently playing the original game again! (The story line for Kingdom Hearts is amazing!) I CAN'T DEFEAT STUPID RIKU! No Riku I take that back! I know you're not a bad person! I need to do a lot of leveling up…My goodness I'm tearing up right now remembering Xion. How can people laugh at that? I'm fighting back tears right now!**

Kotone: (aside) what is she talking about?

Everyone: I have no idea.

* * *

><p>Kotone had a new black coat on that was a millimeter from grazing the floor when she walked. The hood was perfect and hung low enough that its shadow would cover her eyes, but she could still see through it. Under the pitch black coat, her clothes were far from perfect. She had changed into rags that couldn't even be considered clothes. It was pulled over her in the toga fashion where it's wrapped around her and clipped over one shoulder. For the clip, she found a nice, strong stick that she drove through the tattered fabric.<p>

Her silver hair that escaped the hood's grasp floated on the wind's breeze, giving an eerie look to her. Black cloak, tattered clothes, silver hair. Anyone who didn't know her would have thought she was a ghost.

Her amber eyes gleamed as she realized how she was so caught up with her own thoughts that she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.

She started to sprint again, cursing her ignorance.

_I should have known that wouldn't delay them long enough. That child must have sent the other dragon slayers after all,_ she thought to herself. _Crud, this form is exhausting! I still haven't mastered how to use my powers to the fullest while in this body. Move dang it!_

She looked over her shoulder, knowing it was too late to out run them. She jumped off the path and ran with all her might.

Now, Kotone may be more than excellent in speed during a battle, but that's because it's short bursts of energy. Running, on the other hand is simply not her forte, seeing as she was built for flying, not cross country.

She heard Natsu rush by like a bullet just fired from a gun, smoking as it made its way towards its target.

Kotone cursed under her breath and continued to run through the rough terrain. That is until she heard Wendy.

"Natsu!" the little girl yelled. "She noticed us and changed course! She's no longer taking the pathway!"

Kotone desperately tried to pick up her speed_. They'll convince me to continue living in agony. I refuse to be persuaded!_

The wind was carrying the sounds away from her, also the smell.

Erza and the others were going by Wendy's directions. Wendy inhaled a huge breath that had her lungs screaming in protest. "I can taste her…she's not that far ahead of us!"

Lucy, who was being carried by Grey, said, "It's a good thing that the wind is blowing in our favor, or else we would have never caught up to her."

"It's a good thing she's not used to suppressing her enormous power by will, or else never would have caught up to her," Wendy replied.

Erza glance over at Wendy, who was still being carried by Gajeel, and asked, "Is her power really that impressive?"

"Tch!" Gajeel replied, "I could defeat that good for nothing coward!"

Wendy, ignoring Gajeel, said, "I don't know Erza, I've never seen her fight without her bandages before. She was impressive with the bandages. She's obviously inhuman without the bandages to have defeated all of you guys without breaking a sweat. When I saw her as a dragon, I'll admit it was a little tough to breathe with all that magic power still in the air."

Erza's frown deepened. Her brow knit together as she thought her opinion of Kotone's magic over. Reconfirming her suspicion that Kotone was an enemy that she should not act carelessly with.

"I see her!" Happy yelled from above. "Oh! She just swerved off to the right."

The group hurried on as Kotone hurridly figured out a plan that would hopefully confuse them. Her legs started to feel like they were on fire as the muscles were pushed beyond their limit. Her feet were aching as her plan feel into place. She grinned in satisfaction and she came to an abrupt halt. She spun on her heel and sprinted towards Wendy and the rest of them.

"Something's wrong," Wendy murmured, "the scent in the air just got stronger all of the sudden."

Erza picked up her speed, "Does that mean she's decided to meet us head on?"

"There she is!" Lucy screamed as a dust cloud appeared in their field of vision.

Kotone was in front of the cloud head ducked down. The coat billowed behind her, spreading like an eagle's wings.

"She's not stopping?" Grey asked.

He was right; she didn't slow down in slightest. In fact, she had picked up speed and was slowly turning into a blur.

"It's a scare tactic! She wants us to slow down!" Erza shouted.

Kotone kept coming and so did the others. Dust clouds heading right at each other. It looked as if they were going to collide and created some kind of explosion from the impact. Then, at the last second, right when Erza's fist was going to connect with Kotone's face, Kotone was gone.

Erza and the others were caught up in Kotone's dust cloud and were coughing as they tried to escape.

"What happened?" Gajeel exclaimed with a furious passion.

"I don't know," Erza replied, just as confused.

The cloud dissipated and everyone was left dumbfounded. Kotone wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Wendy," Gajeel asked, "Can you track her down?"

SNIII-COUGH COUGH COUGH!

"Ugh," she replied, "all the dirt got in my nose."

"Kotone went this way!" Happy yelled from above.

"How do you know?" Lucy asked.

"I've been up here the whole time…Kotone scary!" he yelled back. "I was watching from up here and right when you guys were going to ram into each other, she jumped up and looked at me with such a scary face! Then she ran that way."

Happy started lead the way, but Erza easily picked up Kotone's sloppy trail as he human legs were screaming from the pain.

"She's here somewhere," Erza stated as their trail ended at a blue-green lagoon…

* * *

><p><strong>AN ANOTHER CLIFFY! Don't get mad at me, I need to do something so I can at least make sure some of you come back for more. If you guys are like me and can't stop reading something until the end…then I apologize, this must be horrible for you.**

_Kotone:…..Where did I go?_

Natsu: WHERE DID I GO?

**Miu: Happy knows! :D**

**Happy: Aye!**

**Miu and Happy: ('.')('.') It's a **

_Lucy: Don't roll your tongue like that!_

Kotone: Natsu said he would get me this time, but he epically failed now didn't he?

Natsu: SHADDUP!

**Miu: Well there were no reviews this time *goes into a dark corner* No I deserve this, *still in the dark corner, sulking* I said I didn't require reviews and I guess I made it sound like I didn't want reviews. It's my fault…**

_Gajeel: WOMAN! Get up and keep writing! I haven't had a fight yet!_

**Miu: *suddenly becomes distracted* **

_Gajeel: WHAAAAAAT? Does that mean I don't get a fight?_

Kotone: Remember, some people don't appreciate your loud voice…Goody-two-shoes…

**Miu: AAAAAAAANNNNYYYWAAAYYYYSS! I'm working on the next chapter today as well so the next chapter might come up soon, but nothing is written in stone! Unless, you count the Mayans who wrote in clay that dried and became stone….Sorry this chapter is so short, UNTIL NEXT TIME!**

_Gajeel: I told you before this isn't an ANIME!_

**Miu: But, isn't it?**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N HIYAS! I currently have a poll going on at my profile page! I did this because I wanted to see what you guys wanted Kotone to do. To be honest, I've already decided what she's going to do. I'm just curious about the opinion of my readers. It is a blind poll, meaning that you will not see the current results of the poll if you choose to vote. I will put the results at the end of one of my chapters!**

Kotone: That's lame! I like being able to see the results myself.

**Miu: But this way there is no bias. I don't know about you, but when I see the results I sometimes want to change my answer.**

Kotone:…I knew you were weird but…

**Miu: (T.T) BE NICE! I CREATED YOU!...I KEEL YOU!**

Kotone: What?

**Miu: Don't mind me, all alone in my corner. I'll just glare at you until you become uncomfortable.**

Kotone:…Whatever…

**Miu: I'll have Alice beat your butt!**

Kotone: Who?

* * *

><p>Kotone watched as the group searched for any sign of her trail. She smiled at her plan, knowing that it would work if they decided she went in another direction.<p>

What she didn't know, was that the group wasn't the only thing she had to look out for…

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled as he went off to go find Natsu.

Wendy and the others scouted around, looking for anything that would give even the slightest hint of where Kotone could have gone. Wendy and Gajeel were sniffing around like dogs, seeing if Kotone was nearby. Grey and Erza were searching for footprints or broken sticks.

Erza's gruff voice called out, "Found anything yet?"

"No."

"Nothing."

"I got nothing here as well."

"Then keep searching. We're running out of time," Erza stated.

Everyone nodded as they went back to work. Their hope was like a flame with a glass over it, burning brightly until its supply of oxygen is used up.

Just when they thought the oxygen was gone, a hole in the glass appeared.

"JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD FOUND THE PERFECT TRAINING GROUND!"

Everyone looked up, surprised at the sudden loud noise.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" the voice boomed again.

"Try to calm down," a tired voice called out.

A girl stomped out of the woods surrounding the lake, "NO! I refuse to calm down! I've been searching for a nice secluded place to train, so I can prepare for the battle. This is what I get after finding the seemingly perfect spot. A bunch of noisy, stinky weirdos just had to come here, didn't they?"

"Like I said," a little brown cat trailed behind the girl, blue eyes flashing, "try to calm down." Her voice was definitely a command as her eyes squinted into a glare.

The girl's own blue eyes widened for a moment before she yelled, "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT? This is why everyone tells you that you're a stick in the mud Mika."

Flames erupted from the eyes of the now huge brown cat, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?"

"What ev," the girl shrugged the threat off and her arm band started to slide down so she pulled it back up.

It was a red arm band with an intricate pattern of golden lines that formed a shark within a hexagon. Her black hair was tied back in a high ponytail and it swished as her head spun to glare at them.

She opened her mouth but then there was a huge splash and she was gone.

Mika was dumbfounded, "Alice…"

An exhausted Happy floated over to the water, "Natsu, wait up…" Happy fell in the water, drained of his energy.

There was a collective moment when everyone realized what happened and started whistling nonchalant.

"GAH!" Alice burst from the water. "To bring me into the water without knowing my magic, you have a lot of guts kid. Right now you're in my domain."

Her now soggy blue shirt clung to her body as she walked out of the water. "Now I'm all wet, not like it matters." She brushed her black shorts with her hands, but it was pointless. "Geeze, now the water is gonna taste funny you weirdos."

Natsu climbed out of the water, "Happy, where is everyone?" He glanced up, "Never mind!"

Happy, who was on Natsu's head, said a faint, "Aye sir."

"What's this?" Alice said out of the blue.

All eyes turned towards the mysterious girl. "This water tastes familiar…I can taste the cat and the boy, but there's something else…"

Grey, in the middle of hitting Natsu for ditching them, asked, "What do you mean?"

Lucy piped up, "Maybe it'll help us."

Everyone gathered around Alice, waiting expectantly. Alice bit her lip and fisted her rough hands. "BACK UP!"

Everyone took a step back, but their expressions didn't change in the slightest.

Alice sighed and brought her still wet hand to her mouth. Her tongue made contact but she immediately recoiled from the taste. "Definitely familiar, so much it's painful. It tastes like Reyna."

Mika's ears pricked at the statement. "Are you sure?"

"Yea, do you think she was here?" Alice asked.

"Is Reyna a dragon?" Wendy asked.

Alice's eyes widened as she replied tartly, "Yeah, why do you care?"

Everyone smiled and glanced at the water. They ran to the edge and started searching.

"HEY! I asked a question! The least you could do is answer it!" Alice yelled.

Happy waddled over, "Shh! She might hear you."

"HAH! Who wouldn't want to hear me? Come on, you don't meet a dragon slayer every day!" She declared with much pride.

Happy waved her away saying, "Yeah, yeah, I live with one."

"WHAT?" Alice yelled.

Gajeel turned around and had an expression like a golem. He looked down at Alice, hands fisted and said, "Look here kid, we don't have time to deal with a brat like you. Now run off and go train somewhere else."

Alice glared at the Iron dragon slayer and pointed her finger at him, opening her mouth to dish some sass. But when she was about to talk, she got interrupted again.

"Found her!" Grey yelled as he threw an ice spear into the water.

There was a great big burst of water and out of it jumped Kotone, dripping as she landed on the opposite side of the lake. She cursed her bad luck and prepared to fight. Her legs didn't have enough energy to run, but they had plenty for a fight.

"Well," she declared, "this isn't fair in the least bit now is it? Six against one? I'm sorry, seven if you count Happy."

Kotone noticed the new girl and the Exceed. "My, my…Who are the new comers? I didn't see them at the guild."

"That's because we don't belong to a guild. Who are you?" Alice yelled.

"If you don't belong to the guild, I suggest you leave. Things are about to get messy."

Alice put her hands on her hips and asked, "What? Do you think I'm incapable of protecting myself from the likes of you?"

Erza placed her heavy hand on the girl's shoulder and said, "This is someone who can defeat an S-class mage, a dragon slayer, an ice mage, and a celestial mage without breaking a sweat. This isn't something you should get involved in."

Alice took another look at the girl who appeared younger than herself. The rags were soaked and there was algae caught on them as well. The silver hair dripped as it laid flat against her pale face. Her face was a shocking contrast to her fierce amber eyes, glaring at the opposite side of the lake. Her hand reached up and unclipped the now heavy black cloak. It fell to the ground with a plop as she crouched in an almost animalistic way. For a girl who looked to be around 13, Alice thought she was an intimidating foe.

Alice smirked, please with her conclusion. She stepped into the water, grinning like a mad man. Her hands shook with excitement as she faced Kotone. Alice felt giddy as she realized that she found the perfect training partner.

"Well," she said, "then you could use all the help you can get."

Mika took to the sky, only to land on Alice's head, mumbling about how frustrating people can be.

"Alice," she whispered, "I don't think you understand the situation. Can't you tell the atmosphere is really intense?"

"Huh?" Alice asked. "What are you talking about?"

Mika gazed at the girl across the lake, "Think for a moment. They are fighting. What are the reasons people fight?"

Alice sighed, knowing another lecture was coming. "Uh…to capture criminals, to get even, to prove their worth, to protect loved ones, to get the perfect angle to take a picture of me…OOWW! That hurt!" she exclaimed.

"Fool! Focus!" Mika said as she pulled Alice's hair. "Besides your last comment, those are exactly the reasons why shouldn't involve ourselves. This fight is personal for them. They would probably prefer it if we didn't get involved."

Alice sighed yet again. She knew the scolding would never end if she decided to fight. "Fine!" she huffed. "But I want to ask something before we go."

She stepped out of the water and crossed her arms in a haughty fashion. Then she became dead serious as all her emotions escaped her body, leaving only an intense aura that surrounded the girl.

"This is a serious matter to me and I deserve the truth after you invaded my training ground," Alice said, almost in monotone. "What exactly is she? She's not human, that much is certain."

Wendy stepped up as Kotone's eyes became vicious.

"How do you know she's not human? As you can see, she has a human body," Wendy stated calmly.

Alice threw her finger at the lake, "The water gave that away."

Wendy fumbled with her words as she tried to come up with a believable excuse.

Natsu shook the remaining water off himself and said, "It's because she's a…"

Everyone looked at Natsu as he grabbed his throat. His mouth gaping like a fish out of water, he glared at Kotone.

Kotone watched, interested as Alice's eyes became twice their original size.

"M-Mika…" Alice stuttered.

Mika immediately grabbed Alice and took off like a rocket at full speed. They zoomed out of there with knowing looks on their faces, confusing the group.

They glanced at Kotone, whose face was like stone.

"Well," she said into the silence that followed their leave, "I seem to be reuniting with all my old buddies lately."

Natsu glared at her, "You mean you knew that girl?"

Kotone's eyes glazed over and replied, "Not really."

Grey prepared to fight, "What do you mean 'not really'? That was a yes or no question."

Kotone stood up and stretched. She reached over and picked up her cloak.

"This doesn't matter anymore, I'm not going to fight in hand to hand combat," she said as she clipped the cloak around her neck.

Gajeel practically growled as he asked, "What do you mean you're not going to fight us?"

Her eyes darted to Natsu and the killing intent reflected in her eyes had Natsu gulping for air.

"Someone," she said in a forced calm voice, "broke his promise." She turned away from them so they wouldn't see her face and couldn't hear her voice. "He also," she murmured, "has broken what little trust I had for others."

Kotone walked away as Lucy shouted, "Wait!"

Kotone came to a stop, but refused to turn around.

Lucy gulped as she realized that she had Kotone's full attention for the first time. She started to feel self-conscious but quickly abandoned that feeling, knowing that Kotone would walk away at any time.

Lucy started walking around the huge lake. "I have something to say and I want you to listen."

"Very well," was the only reply she received.

Lucy's hands shook as she talked, but that was the only sign that betrayed how nervous she was. "All of us know that you're a dragon."

Lucy had to take a step back at the sudden release of magical pressure. She wasn't the only one, for Wendy and the others had to bring their arms up to brace themselves from the impact.

Lucy's hands weren't the only things shaking as her voice shook, "But I don't care."

After taking a moment to calm down, she tried again and this time it was convincing.

"But I don't care. You became a member of Fairy Tail and in Fairy Tail there is no such thing as turning your back on a comrade. It's against our nature. I know that you haven't been a part of Fairy Tail for long, so maybe it's just that you're not used to how we do things."

Lucy was almost halfway around the lake and she became more determined and sure of herself the father she went.

"When I first joined Fairy Tail, my father hired another guild to get me back. Of course when I found this out, I wanted to face it by myself so no one else could get hurt, but everyone refused to let me. I saw my friends get injured and my comrades taken down all because of me. I was dying on the inside, knowing how helpless I was to protect them. I begged for them to just let me be captured, but everyone rejected it without hesitating for a second. In the end, because everyone fought together, we won and I didn't have to sacrifice myself for the sake of the guild. We know you want to do this by yourself, but I'm telling you that we're never going to let you. Run all you want, but we will chase you. Knock us down as many times as you want, but we'll just get back up. Reject us for as long as you can, but we'll welcome you with open arms every time."

Lucy was in arms reach of Kotone and she stood her ground, prepared for anything Kotone threw at her.

A light breeze came and revealed Kotone's soft smile, confusing Lucy.

Kotone's smile grew as she said, "Makarov, you've raised an excellent guild."

Lucy watched in surprise as Kotone looked at her out of the corner of her eye, still grinning.

"I know how our guild runs. Silly, I was there when your guild was created. I watched from the sidelines after I saved Mavis, the original master. Ha ha, that boy was a handful. He was still a handful when he was an old man and I handed Makarov over to him. Ha ha ha!"

Lucy was so confused. She could only just stand there as the others watched from the other side of the lake, wondering what they were talking about.

"But…" she said, not knowing what else to say.

Kotone chuckled quietly, "Wondering how I could be laughing at a time like this? Ha ha! It's because Mavis told me that this was going to happen one day. He knew I was going to join a guild and that guild would change everything. He told me that he would build a guild that I would be proud of joining. And here we are, a youngster telling me the exact same things he told me his guild would symbolize."

Lucy took this in as Kotone's smile grew and her eyes closed at the memories that flooded her.

"That girl just now," Kotone began, "is a part of an organization that I thought would have died long ago. It seems that it's actually gotten bigger, almost to a point where it can be considered as guild. Oh boy, I wonder what they're going to do now…"

"Wait, I'm not sure what's going on. What organization?" Lucy inserted.

Kotone tapped just below her shoulder. Her smile turned sly as she finally turned to face Lucy. Lucy's view of Kotone blurred for a moment and she rubbed her tired eyes. When she looked back at Kotone, she saw a smiling, dry, little girl.

"Sound is a vibration that can vary in intensity," Kotone said.

Lucy wondered what Kotone couldn't do as Kotone scratched her head in embarrassment.

"Well, as much as I want you guys to help me, I'm not going to let you," Kotone stated. She gave Lucy a thumbs up as she said, "My job is almost done. Chase me if you want, but I'll send you back home to Makarov. This is bigger than you know, so watch me! I'll put on a big fireworks show, 'Kay!"

Kotone winked and walked away, waving to Lucy as her back disappeared in the shadows.

Lucy chased after her, but when she entered the forest, she started to feel dizzy and she hurriedly stumbled out. She tripped over her feet, but was caught by Erza, who was about to rush in after her.

"No wait guys!" Lucy cried out.

"What?" Natsu yelled as he ran straight into the forest.

"Get him out quick! Kotone's put one of her sleeping spells over the entire forest," Lucy said.

Happy was already dragging out the already sleeping Natsu. Natsu snored loudly as Lucy tried to figure out what their next move should be. Her tired mind was having issues making coherent sentence so everyone was hanging on her every word.

"She…she talked about…this…organization…the arm band…the arm band is the sign of the organization…they're not a guild…but there are enough members that…it could pass as a guild…the girl…Alice…she's part of the organization…we should follow her…she might know something…" Lucy finally uttered.

"Dang it!" Gajeel murmured. "That girl was annoying."

Erza stood and put her hands on her hips, a sign that she was taking charge. She opened her mouth and commanded in a voice that had an undertone that said there wasn't room for arguments, "Then you and Grey should go back to the guild and alarm the Master what has happened so far. Wendy, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and I will go after Alice."

"Ehh! Why do I have to go back?" Grey argued.

Erza glared at him and he jumped up, suddenly overjoyed to go.

"We need someone who was in the first group to inform the other of how she was acting during our battle," Erza said anyway.

"Then wouldn't it make sense…if I went? I was the only one…conscious till the end. Also…I'm the only one who heard…this conversation now," Lucy murmured.

Erza shook her head, "We'll need you here because you were the only one who she's talked to freely."

Lucy then zoned out herself. She dreamed of laughing with Happy back at the guild. Natsu and Grey fighting in the background. Erza was talking with Wendy about a mission that would be easy for her and Charle. Master and Mirajane were watching everyone with a proud expression. Gajeel and Lily were talking about this new training program they had come up with and Levy, Droy, and Jet were looking at the request board for possible missions. Elfman and Lisanna were chatting as Kotone walked out from behind the bar, passing out drinks to everyone. Of course Cana demanded beer but Kotone just laughed, becoming a part of the guild and everyone in it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Okay, I have no new reviews again *goes into Mr. Corner for a moment* but I have been getting a few PMs. Those who I am about to talk about, you know who you are so I don't need to put it on paper.**

**Kotone is not a girl with mood swings. I found this offensive and I can't be completely mad at you because I think a few people out there think this. So, for those of you out there who are courious about my character read on. If not, then just know that ****I am still accepting OCs and the poll will be up until the day when Kotone's plan is revealed.**

**Now, I think of Kotone as a fox. She always has a card up her sleeve and is very sly. She doesn't hide her feelings though, which some people I guess could think is out of character. But you have to understand that Kotone is scared of being hurt so she rejects people. On the other hand she is in desperate need of other's love, so she is open about her feelings.**

**That is all. So, have a nice week guys, I probably won't update very soon.  
><strong>


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N Hey guys! I recently noticed my poll wasn't even on my profile page! *cone of shame* I forgot to make sure that I clicked the thingy-majigy that would put it on my profile. So I created this in a hurry to make up for my stupid mistake. It's also a lot longer than my last one. I will probably update a lot more during Christmas break, so hang in there until then!**

**Miu out.**

Walking, moving, progressing, she had returned to the path. Kotone dragged a left over stick behind her, not really caring or really aware of it. That lonely stick left a thin trail in the dry dirt, only to be erased from existence by the next person who walked along the path. Her sore feet were heavy as she thought about her terrible situation. The more she thought, the more stressed she became. She could feel the weight of her thoughts didn't let up either. It just grew and grew, dragging her down.

SNAP

She glanced behind her and saw that the stick had broken under the pressure. She looked forlornly at the stick, but in the end, she let go and kept walking….

Erza had a passed out Natsu under her arm. He would occasionally moan or turn a shade greener. Erza didn't seem to notice as she swung him around as she walked. Her metal armor probably didn't help Natsu relax enough to rest properly either.

Lucy watched with concern, unlike Happy. He trotted along with a little hop to his step, probably because he was excited to see another Exceed. His good mood rubbed Lucy the wrong way. She could only wonder how he could be so excited when he's going to see the Exceed under the circumstances.

To distract herself, Lucy glanced to her left to see Wendy whipping her head around, obviously looking for the girl called Alice. Wendy's determined expression gave Lucy the courage to start looking as well.

They had walked into a busy body of a city that reminded Lucy of Fairy Tail. The streets were packed with merchants and people trying to get through. Lucy couldn't take three steps with bumping into a yelling merchant or a person trying to get home. The houses were packed together so tightly that the alleyways were more like a mouse's hallway. As she was looking around at the mobs of people bustling to and fro, she noticed something off.

Before she could think about it for long, an old lady approached Wendy. Her fragile hand, which looked too delicate to be in such an active city, reached out and tapped the girl's shoulder.

"Hello young one, are you looking for something?" her sweet voice asked. Her light jacket was a soft yellow color and she was wearing a long, washed out red skirt that reached the ground.

Wendy turned around and flashed her cute smile in gratitude. Wendy had to talk louder than she usually did in order for the old lady to hear her over the yelling merchants, "Yes, do you think you could help us? We're looking for a girl with a brown cat. She has long black hair, blue eyes, and an arm band that has a symbol of a shark on it."

Erza, Happy, and Lucy had joined Wendy and were listening to her description with no objections. But to everyone's surprise the old woman laughed.

"Oh my," she said, "you'll have to come up with a better description than that! Cats run this city and there are plenty of girls here with that description."

Lucy took another look around and noticed cats were indeed all over the place. Some were weaving between feet in the street while others sat lazily on roof tops. There were some even in the windows of the houses and buildings.

Erza took the lead and said, "She said that she was a dragon slayer and her cat could talk. Like this one." She picked up Happy who waved and greeted her.

The lady smiled and nodded, "Yes, that would be Alice and Mika. They are very popular around here." The old lady beckoned for them to follow her and they cooperated.

Lucy was still bothered though, she felt uneasy. Eyes were on them as the old lady weaved with ease through the people, occasionally stopping and talking with someone off the street as she waited for them.

During one of these times when the lady was talking to a young man, Lucy felt to dots connect.

Wendy and Erza stopped when they felt Lucy tap them on the shoulder. "She's one of them. Look, she's wearing earrings with the same hexagon and shark symbol."

Wendy and Erza glanced over to see for themselves and sure enough, the earrings were the same gold symbol as the one on Alice's armband.

"That's not all," Lucy continued, "look at the people who are watching us."

Wendy's head bobbed as she looked around people to get a good look at the ones who were on the other side of the street.

Erza recognized them instantly; they were the people that the old lady had stopped to talk to while waiting for them.

"They're the same people from before," Erza stated.

Lucy nodded as she grabbed Happy who was jumping out of the onslaught of people barging through the streets. "Then if you look closer, you'll notice they all have the symbol somewhere on them. Kotone was right in saying they're like a guild. The symbol isn't on their body though; it's an accessory of some sort. The guy that is currently talking to our guide has the symbol on a handkerchief sticking out of his pocket."

Happy started shivering in Lucy's arms, "What are we going to do?"

Erza glanced one more time at the people watching them, "We are severely out numbered. I think it would be best if we don't let on that we know. We should just follow along and see what happens."

Lucy and the others nodded as they continued onward to their guide.

The lady smiled as she saw them coming, "There you are! I thought I lost you sweeties to the crowd. Stick close to me now." She headed out again and the group stuck to her like glue. No one wanted her to stop and talk to anyone else for who knows what.

Lucy, sensing the atmosphere was becoming slightly strangled, asked, "What is your name? I didn't catch it before."

They could hear her chuckle in response, not exactly helping the already tense atmosphere. She glanced over her shoulder at them and was taken by laughter again when she saw Natsu's pathetic face.

"My," she said, "what an odd group you are. You didn't catch my name before because I didn't say it. I also didn't catch any of your names either, because none of you said yours."

"How are we odd?" Happy demanded.

She chuckled yet again, "You want to see Alice right? Why do you want to see Alice?"

"Well," Wendy began, "we think that she can help us find someone we're looking for."

The lady replied with, "Why are you looking for this person?"

"She's our friend and we want to help her," Wendy said without hesitation.

The lady swerved to the left, causing everyone to scramble after her. She started walking down one of the narrow allies, barely fitting. Erza had problems at first, but she managed to get through just fine after she started dragging Natsu behind her.

The old lady stopped halfway down the alley and turned towards the group. Her smile was innocent, not deceiving in the slightest as she said, "Alice is in here."

She turned the rusty handle of a rotten wood door next to her and pushed it open. She walked into the tavern that was brightly lit with candles and filled with people singing nursery rhymes.

Lucy and Happy were the first to enter and stepped to the side for Wendy and the others. All were dumbfounded at how much the scene before them reminded them of Fairy Tail. People were drinking and a brawl would randomly break out for a couple of seconds. You could hear laughter and cheers coming from everywhere, but the second the door closed behind Erza and Natsu, everything went silent.

Of course, that was when Natsu started waking up from the spell Kotone put him under.

"Wait…Where are we?" He murmured as he tried to stand up. His legs shook but he managed to stand by holding onto Erza. He looked up to see the blank expressions of the people around them and said, "Where ever we are, the people aren't all that friendly."

A girl in her twenties stood up, tying her purple bow at the back of her head. She ruffled her short, spiky back hair as her black shoes tapped on the wood flooring. Her black pants were a sharp contrast to her white, long-sleeved blouse with a dark purple vest over it. Then, to top it off, her deep purple eyes pierced the group like daggers.

After a few moments of this glare down, Natsu marched forward and said, "Yo! Stop staring! It's considered rude!"

The girl smirked and turned her back on him. She then said in a clear, precise voice, "What a bunch of idiots. Alice! These ones are for you!"

The girl sat back down and Alice walked out from behind a bunch of guys huddled around a card game.

She stood tall and walked like she had just walked onto a runway, over to the girl in purple. "Which one of my fans wants to see me now?" she asked tiredly.

She finally looked over at the door way and her expression immediately soured, "What are you weirdos doing here?"

"What did you call me?" Natsu roared.

Lucy was looking around frantically, everyone's eyes were on them and she couldn't look in any direction without seeing the symbol. They were in the heart of their territory.

Erza, being the boldest of them stated, "You were the girl at the lake, correct?"

Alice huffed and crossed her arms, "Well duh! How could you forget me?"

Erza's armor clanked as she took a step forward. Her hands fisted as she let her serious attitude fill the room. "You recognized our friend. What connections do you have with her?"

Everyone in the room bristled at the word 'friend'. Eyes shifted from the group to each other.

Alice bit her lower lip and said nothing, her own eyes shifting to her comrades.

Erza frowned as she repeated the question, to no avail. Natsu gritted his teeth as he eyes scanned the room.

"Well," he said, "is anyone gonna answer the question?"

No response.

Wendy started fidgeting and Lucy's arms squeezed Happy tighter.

Finally, the old lady walked out of the crowd and said, "I think what the real question that needs to be asked here is, 'How are _you_ connected to Kotone?'"

The group haltered for a moment, shocked that they knew Kotone. It was their turn to glance amongst each other, wondering what they should say.

Happy, surprisingly was the one who answered, "Kotone joined our guild a couple of days ago. She's really good friends with the master of our guild. We once lost a member of our guild. We thought we would never see her again. But we were lucky enough to get her back. We know we will never be that lucky again, so we want to help Kotone so we don't lose her."

Everyone glanced at the suddenly very deep Happy. He smiled, silently telling everyone that he has his moments.

The old lady glanced at the girl in purple, who nodded in response.

The lady grinned, "It seems you speak the truth. If that is how you know Kotone, then it would be best for you to leave. We can't have you guild members ruining everything we've worked for."

Erza glared at the woman and Lucy cringed as she heard the armor screech. Erza quickly relaxed her hands and flexed them. There were slight dents in the armor that Lucy noticed, but chose not to mention.

"What's wrong with guilds?" Erza demanded, her voice deceivingly calm.

Again eyes shifted, but there was a scowl on their faces. Soon the eyes turned to glare at their Fairy Tail symbols, which they showed proudly.

Natsu's knuckles were white as his fists shook with anger at the derogatory comment. At Erza's question, Wendy could see him and everyone else waiting for an answer.

The old lady slowly reached into the pocket of her sweater and with her fragile hand, pulled out a ruby red locket with the gold shark symbol on it. She released the clasp on the side and gingerly lifted a folded wad of paper out. Carefully, afraid of tarnishing the prized possession, unfolded the paper to reveal that it was a letter with a picture.

"This," she said, "is the reason why we are here today. You say that you want to save Kotone. We don't want your help because you are guild members. Our city hasn't had a guild in over 400 years."

Natsu and Erza slowly relaxed, sensing the change in the atmosphere. Wendy immediately felt the heavy air weigh down on her, foretelling an ancient story was about to come. Lucy also recognized the speech pattern, wanting to be a future author, and knew this tale is respected among the organization's members.

Looking at the picture, the lady began, "I will give you the short story and not go into too much detail. My name is Chiyoko. I am named after my grandmother's grandmother, Chiyo. She was a little over 17 when she started an orphanage. Back in those days, there were several kids who were abandoned and in need of a home. In order to shelter all of them, she had to rent a larger house than she had. She worked and worked for years to save up and by the time she was 20, she had earned enough to buy the large house. Unfortunately, the house was already bought and she negotiated with the landlord to see if she could buy it from him. They agreed upon her renting the house for a reasonable amount that she would be able to afford. The kids were happy and she was happy, until the landlord raised the rent. Chiyo couldn't pay the ridiculous amount of rent, but she couldn't turn the kids out into the streets. Soon she was in serious debt and when she couldn't pay, the landlord would get into a rage. He would toss her around and even swing at a few of the kids.

"One day, the landlord got fed up with the ginormous amount of debt and threw them out with only the clothes on their backs. Chiyo was pounding on the door, begging for him to let the children sleep there until she could find other arrangements, when a young girl walked by. Her eyes were bandaged tightly with a few rags and her clothes were in just as bad of shape as the rags on her eyes. The girl tapped Chiyo on the shoulder and placed her hand on Chiyo's arm. Chiyo stopped banging on the door long enough for the girl to put her own hand on the door. She pushed it open as if there wasn't a lock there at all. This was astounding for the kids and Chiyo and they stood there, watching her as she walked inside.

"A couple of minutes later, they saw her returning with a bunch of papers in her hand. She stopped right outside the door way and held the documents up in the air for Chiyo to take. Once they left her hand, the girl went on her way, just as she was before she heard the commotion.

"Chiyo looked at the papers in her hands and saw that they were documents, signed by the landlord, to change ownership of the property to Chiyo. Behind the papers was an envelope that contained a letter with the previous landlord's writing. Upon reading it, Chiyo discovered that the letter was from the girl who had to make the landlord write it for her. It said that she hoped Chiyo would continue to take care of the kids and not let anyone else treat her like that again.

"Years later, Chiyo had the opportunity to see the girl again, though she didn't recognize her. The girl knocked on the door, wearing white bandages and a black, hooded cloak that hid her face. By this time, Chiyo was a grandmother and my grandmother was the one who opened the door. My grandmother was a little over 17 at the time and welcomed the young girl. She invited her in and asked her what she could do for her. The young girl said that she wanted to see the person who ran the prospering orphanage. My grandmother led her to Chiyo, who was reading stories to the young children.

"When she finished the story, she saw the young girl and invited her over. The young girl walked up to her and took Chiyo's hand in hers. She said, 'You are a good woman. I hope that when my time comes to an end, this place will still be around.' It was then that Chiyo recognized her and invited her to stay for night, which she accepted.

"That night, Chiyo asked the girl who she was and how she could still be so young. The girl didn't answer directly, but gathered the kids, saying she was going to tell them a bedtime story.

"She began the story of Kotone, saying that Kotone was raised by a dragon and grew up thinking that she herself was a dragon. Then one night, Kotone noticed that she had a human body and realized that she was indeed not a dragon. Kotone ran away, with her father yelling that she would have to return to him if she didn't want bad things to befall upon the villagers nearby. Kotone wandered the earth, seeing what human life was like. She was surprised at how kind and at how cruel the humans could be. But, she decided in the end that it was a wonderful life that should be protected. Kotone ran back to her father just as he was about to take off and wreak havoc on the people. Although she returned to her father, she couldn't forgive him for deceiving her. So, in order to be free and not endanger the people, she would have to end her life. Kotone was very happy though, because she was finally with her mother that she never got to meet before.

"With that, the girl ended the story and walked one last time over to Chiyo. She handed her this locket and was about to leave. But Chiyo asked her to take a picture with everyone and the young girl, which Chiyo realized was actually Kotone, stood with everyone as the picture was taken. After that, Kotone said farewell and walked out onto the streets, never to be seen again. That is, until Alice recognized her from the photograph. She also mentioned that the sensation of the magic Kotone used matched the description of what Chiyo has passed down to me. This paper is the description of Kotone that Chiyo wrote and this is the picture they took with the rest of the orphanage."

With that "short" story, Chiyoko showed them the picture and were all taken aback at how Kotone looked almost the same as she did in the picture. Sure there were the subtle signs that showed that she was indeed younger, but it looked like she was only a human year younger in that picture.

Chiyoko pulled the picture away and folded it back with the letter into the locket. She gave them a pointed look and said, "That landlord was the master of the only guild in these parts. We took over the job of a guild and call ourselves 'Shark Empress'. This orphanage is made up of many of the descendants of the orphans Chiyo took care of and many other orphans we took under our wings over the years. Some of us can use magic while other cannot, but none the less we take whatever jobs we can to support ourselves. We've been preparing for the war for generations. We would like it if you let us handle this matter, for we owe Kotone a big debt."

The group fell silent as they realized what they had walked into. None of them wanted to say anything, for these people have held a grudge against guilds for a long time. The whole reason why these people were here, as they are, was because of Kotone. The bonds they shared were that of a family, just like Fairy Tail.

Lucy understood why they reminded her of her guild and couldn't help but smile in tense atmosphere. Her smile vanished as she thought of something and it burst out of her mouth before she could give it a second thought.

"She's been watching us," she said.

All eyes went to her and a chorus of "Huh?" followed the comment.

Lucy's mind went back to when she and Kotone had a one on one conversation…

'_That girl just now,' Kotone began, 'is a part of an organization that I thought would have died long ago. It seems that it's actually gotten bigger, almost to a point where it can be considered as guild. Oh boy, I wonder what they're going to do now…'_

Lucy's eye flashed as she read in between the lines of her comrade. Her face lit up even more as she thought of something else Kotone had said…

'_I know how our guild runs. Silly, I was there when your guild was created. I watched from the sidelines after I saved Mavis, the original master…'_

Lucy's hand made contact with her forehead with a loud SMACK as she started laughing.

Everyone glanced at each other with worried looks in their eyes, concerned for the girl's sanity.

Lucy's laughter died out and she scanned the room. Her eyes shined as she saw a couple of kids standing together in a group. She walked over and knelt on the floor in front of them.

"Hey," she said, "my name is Lucy. What's yours?"

They said their names after a little hesitance and prodding from their mothers.

Lucy smiled her thank at the mothers and asked the kids, "Do you guys like to play games?'

They nodded.

"Really? What kind of games do you play?"

"Well," a bold boy began, "we sometimes play capture the princess. Lily is usually the princess."

"I haven't heard of the game before. How do you play it?"

The boy gained some confidence at Lucy's happy reply to his previous answer. He said, "Well the princess goes and hides and the knights go find her."

"Wow, that's so cool! Is Lily a really good hider?"

"Yeah! She uses magic to hide herself sometimes to make it harder to find her!"

"It sounds like fun! Do other kids from the village come and play with you guys?"

"Not really. Sometimes they would come and help us find Lily when she hides really good."

"Oh that's nice. Is one of the other kids from the village a girl with silver hair and a black coat?"

The boy shook his head along with all the other kids except for one. Lucy smiled at the girl and asked, "What's your name sweetie?"

"Lily."

"Oh you're the really good hider! Have you seen this girl from the village?"

"One time when I hides, it was snowing an I got lost. I fells into a hole an I couldn't get out."

"Oh no! What happened?"

"A girl wif silver hair and stuff on her eyes pulled me out. I was cold so I couldn't move that much an she brought me home."

Lucy smiled and thanked the girl. She stood up and declared, "Kotone has been watching us this whole time. This little girl is proof that she was watching over you guys this entire time. While I was talking to her earlier, she said that she thought this place would have died long ago. She also said that she was there when our first guild master created fairy Tail. She knew we were following her as she ran this way. She was leading us to you guys. Kotone has been playing us like puppets, pulling the strings to her escape. She said that she wondered what you guys were going to do now. She meant that she was wondering what you were going to do with us. I bet she even knew that I was going to figure this out. For Pete's sake, this was an elaborate delay tactic!"

**NOW FOR REVIEWS! I HAVE ONE!**

**TheOrangeNeko** Your welcome! And thank you for letting me tweak her personality a little!

Now, I'm no longer accepting OCs and I have to thank everyone for submitting their OCs. **TheOrangeNeko**, **AquaMiyuki**, and my good friend Sabrina, thank you for your OCs and congratulations! They were chosen for the three major roles and I hope you look forward to seeing them in action!


	14. Chapter 13

A/N For how many people read this, my poll has had hardly any activity…

Kotone: Get on with the story! I wanna look like a genius again.

Miu: *glare at Kotone* Well, sorry this chapter isn't very long, but it is extremely informative about the other two characters that were chosen.

All was quiet. No one moved. A little light from the outside filtered in through a dirty window. Eyes darted around the room, not wanting to believe what was said. All knew Lucy was right, no matter how much they wanted to deny it.

Suddenly the dead silent room was filled with noise that came from the bustling streets as the door opened.

In walked a boy who looked to be about Romeo's age. His short black hair was styled into little spikes and had the kind of purple highlights that attracts eyes. His amber eyes were no exception. He wore baggy black pants that dragged on the floor as he strolled inside. The only thing holding up those pants was a red belt with the golden shark as the buckle. Peeking out from under those pants were red tennis shoes and they were pretty worn down. His black T-shirt was slightly see-through and clung to his body, revealing the shocking amount of muscle he had for his age.

Suddenly there was a loud crash, drawing everyone's attention. The girl with the spiky purple hair was standing, but her chair wasn't. Her expression upon seeing the boy was that of terror and fear. Then suddenly it became one of anger as her body started shaking from trying to suppress her anger.

The boy then changed into a vibrant red color as his teeth grinded against each other. His own fists started shaking as he yelled, "IT'S NOT LIKE I DIDN'T TRY!"

"I DON'T FREAKING CARE! YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING, _ANYTHING_!" she retorted.

"LIKE YOU COULD HAVE DONE BETTER!" he jumped at her, only to be met with a killer punch right in the jaw.

The boy flew and collided with the wall, creating a dust cloud and a couple of chips fly from the wall. Everyone watched with bewilderment as he slowly slid down to the floor. The boy sat there for a couple of moments, making the group believe he was dead. He wasn't breathing, nor was he moving.

Then suddenly he was standing and brushing off the dirt like nothing happened. His calm expression deceived everyone into thinking he actually didn't remember what just happened, until he said, "Tch! Ya made me lose my cool for moment there."

"What cool?" the girl asked sarcastically, but walked over and helped him brush off the rest of the dirt. She started picking out the dirt clumps caught in his hair, but he flicked her hand away and started walking to Chiyoko.

Chiyoko seemed to know what he was going to say before he even reached her, and a grim look came over her face. "Do I even have to ask?"

The boy didn't look at her as he stared off in the distance.

Chiyoko sighed and asked, "Neither one of you are allowed to tell me squat."

Both the boy and the girl with the purple spiky hair jumped, but said nothing.

For a while, everything was silent again, but eventually the boy said, "I can only tell you that you need to wait a little longer."

Chiyoko sighed and patted the boy's head saying, "Thank you Daniel."

Daniel didn't look her in the eye as he apologized.

"You."

The group turned to the girl to see her watching them intently. She opened her mouth and said, "Kotone wants us to be nice to you." Her gaze intensified.

A knife flew at her as she tilted her head slightly so as to just barely dodge it, the same way Kotone did when she was fighting Erza, Lucy, Grey, and Natsu. The knifed impaled the wall as a few chunks of wood splintered off hitting a few people who stood near the wall. The girl calmly looked in the direction the knife came without turning her head.

Daniel stood facing the group just like the girl, but he wasn't even looking in her direction. His dazzling smile creeped out the group as they noticed his arm was still pointing at the girl, the way an arm looks after throwing a knife. They realized he threw it without even looking, and his smile grew even more radiant as every second passed.

"These," he said nicely, but everyone could tell that there was an undertone of a warning to it, "are our guests that Kotone has given us. She would hate it if anything were to happen to them, Anzu." His creepy grin disappeared and was replaced with a calm expression. His eyes however, were fixated in the same way the spiky haired girl's eyes were. Head still facing the group, but the eyes were looking at each other with an intense ferocity.

Anzu stared back for a couple of moments, but in the end, sighed and closed her eyes. "Very well Daniel. Have it your way."

Daniel returned to smiling as he said, "You mean Kotone's way." He finally lowered his hand and introduced himself. "Hello, sorry for the late introduction, buy my name is Daniel Karri. The girl you just met is Anzu Karri, my lovely sister. I'm going to assume you've had the tour of our collective family history."

The group nodded, extremely confused. Who exactly were these siblings? What is their magic, if they have any? What was Chiyoko talking about? Where did Daniel just come from? Do they have exclusive contact with Kotone?

"No, only Daniel does," Anzu replied.

Daniel's face twitched. "Anzu…" he said, another warning.

She opened her eyes, "I can't help it. Their confused thoughts are opening a passage, unconsciously searching for knowledge. I tried to ignore it but they are extremely stubborn."

Daniel's smile disappeared and an impatient expression was used to talk with his older sister. "Then why don't you try forcing the passage close?"

Anzu sighed, "I tried that, but then their thoughts build up an extreme amount of pressure. If I'm not careful, I could permanently close their passages…Dang it, now they are more confused." Anzu's hand came to her head as she glanced at her brother for help.

Daniel sighed and continued his conversation with the group. He didn't have the fake smile pasted on his face anymore; instead he had this indifferent look about him. "My sister inherited the magical abilities that run in my family. She has an ancient type of magic that was thought to have been wiped out. It's called Psyche magic. What it basically does is sense the bonds, or passages, that connect people. Since she can see them, she can also touch them. She can play messages on the bonds and also listen to them as well. Not to mention she can scramble them as well, but that is more than you guys can handle at the moment." Daniel watched as his sister's expression became more pained and said, "Basically she's a telepathic. She knows what you're thinking and she can put her thoughts in your head."

The group had a collective "AH!" moment as they got it, but they were still confused about so many things. Daniel's connection with Kotone was a major factor.

Daniel noticed the confused expressions and asked what else they could be wondering. To his surprise, all of them started jumping forward with vigor. All were asking questions without waiting for an answer. They kept asking more questions when he didn't say anything. For once he knew how his sister felt.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, hushing them. He now had a slight head ache and sent his sister out of the room so she could at least have a barrier between them. "Now," he said calmly, "Kotone has been in close contacts with one member of The Shark Empress for a long time. This has been kept secret from the rest of the organization since the beginning. The one before me was my mother, but when my mom died, Kotone came to me. So I'm the newest generation and when Alice saw Kotone, I knew I had to tell everyone about this. Luckily for me, my sister, for obvious reasons, was the only one who was able to figure out I was on great terms with Kotone and she was able to vouch for me. Kotone still doesn't want everyone to do anything so she told me to tell everyone to calm down.

"Then as for your questions for what I can do, I don't have any magical abilities. Odd, I know. It seems my sister inherited all the magic and I the physical abilities. She does sometimes pull out a killer punch when she's furious though. Other than that, she depends on me to do the brute work. I haven't seen any weapon that I haven't been able to use after getting used to it."

He glanced at Lucy and his fingers twitched. Laughter could be heard in the background and Lucy quickly hid behind Erza. The laughter erupted into roars as Lucy's face blushed and became a crimson red.

To Lucy's surprise, Daniel blushed as well and he turned his back on them.

Chiyoko was amongst the loudest, laughing as she tucked the locket under her shirt. "Girl," she said, "he wants to try out your whip!" She continued laughing as Daniel flushed an even deeper red, much to the audience's amusement.

Daniel turned to and started stomping out of the room, but Erza nudged Lucy, which Lucy completely understood. She whipped out her whip and swung it around to catch Daniel's ankle. Yanking it back, expecting him to crash into the floor. But, much to Lucy's surprise, he yanked his leg forward, causing the whip to fly out of Lucy's hands. He caught it effortlessly and untangled his foot. He brought it up to his face for inspection. His grin turned into a smirk as he swung it around, getting a feel.

"You use a type of magic that makes you able to sit back and watch most of the time. I can tell by how old and used the material is," he remarked. He lifted it above his head and swung it at Lucy, causing her to shriek as it wrapped around her waist. He yanked it into the air, making Lucy scream as she flew straight at the boy. Bracing for impact, she closed her eyes, but her body was met by hard muscles. She opened her eyes to see Daniel holding her in the princess style, causing the audience to burst out whooping and laughing.

It was a comical scene a boy half her height had caught her and was holding her up with ease. "Is this how you're supposed to us it Ma'am?" he remarked. She caught his wink as he put her down.

Erza came up behind Lucy and said, "He's a smart kid. Witty and strong, not to mention he can adapt well and change a situation with ease."

Natsu was confused and said so. Wendy watched the boy whip a few unlucky people in the rears, much to the crowd's pleasure. "He released the tense atmosphere and the organization doesn't feel as awkward with us now," she explained.

Happy nodded his agreement as Daniel returned the whip to Lucy. He noticed Erza's cautious gaze and said, "I train with Kotone. To be honest the longest I've managed is five minutes. From what I hear you guys barely managed two." He smiled as Natsu tried to punch him, but missed because of the slightest head tilt. The evening proceeded with Natsu trying to catch Daniel and Anzu was able to come back out. Everyone laughed and cheered, once again reminding Lucy how much it resembled Fairy Tail.

The night ended with the group getting their own rooms. Natsu's and Happy's was next to Daniel's and Anzu's, but Natsu was too tired to really notice. Natsu was out even before he fell on the bed, but Daniel wasn't. He got into bed to reassure his sister that he was okay, but she knew and kept quiet about it. Daniel eventually gave up pretending to sleep and sat up. He got out of his bed and walked over to his window. The full moon shone in the night sky, radiant in comparison to his town. He opened his window and breathed in the fresh air, wincing at the cold wind that bit into his cheeks.

"Tomorrow," he whispered into the wind, "tomorrow your war will begin…"

A/N Next chapter Kotone's choice will be revealed! Until then the poll is up at my profile. Please go and vote.

On a different note, AquaMiyuki is the only person who reviewed and she also showed me an amazing/slightly creepy song. The name is Chasing the Dragon by Epica. It is practically my story embodied in a song. Once I heard it I was speechless at how eerie it was, but once I got over that I was tripping over my own feet to hurry and buy it on itunes. So thank you AquaMiyuki for the song and also being the only person who reviewed. Made my day.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N (^.^) This face can't even describe how I feel right now. :D…..XD...nope, still can't convey m feelings throw digitalized faces. I seriously got up and did a happy dance. I have the biggest grin on my face and spent a few days grinning like this. My family got seriously concerned with how happy I was, but when I explained to them what happened they patted me on the back and kept walking. It may not have been as important to them as it was to me, but I got a huge wave of favorites and story alerts over my delayed update. THIS MEANS PEOPLE ARE SPREADING THE WORD! I even got my first Author Alert! AND…I even got…. REVIEWS! SOOOO EXCITED!**

Grey: Where am I during all this?

**Miu: All in due time…**

* * *

><p>The night was cold. A fierce wind blew, not helping in the slightest. The stars twinkled and gave off a faint light on the black canvas, known as the sky. The stars were nothing in comparison to the moon. It was a lantern that shone its loving light on the streets and houses. The streets were quite as they usually were at night, and the houses were filled as they usually were at night…or were they not?<p>

A young boy silently closed his window, looking his sister in the eye as he did so. Acceptance shone in her eyes as bright as the moon, loving but still gave off a feeling that someone wouldn't be able to reach her.

The boy tried to smile in order to reassure her, but he himself was taken over with anxiety. His smile was more for himself than his sister, but both knew that it didn't have any affect.

The boy nodded goodbye with grim determination as he dropped to the ground. The tree he used to safely land had waved its own goodbye as he sprinted into the empty streets and beyond, into the eerie forest.

The girl left behind watched his receding back, struggling to hold back her emotions. She didn't want her brother to worry about her. She took a deep breath and turned away from the window. She walked over the cold, wood flooring to the equally cold, wood door and opened it to step into the cold, wood hallway. Her breath formed a white cloud as she stood and waited patiently.

In the next room, a boy and a cat slept peacefully in their bed. No light filtered into their room, for there was no window. There was, however, a gasp as the boy bolted upright and hopped out of bed. The cat rubbed his eyes as he asked, "Natsu, what's wrong?"

Natsu walked to the door and said, "I have a feeling like something just happened."

"Just a feeling?" Happy grumbled. "If that's it then I'm going back to bed." As if to make a point, Happy bundled up in the blankets, making them inaccessible to anyone else.

Natsu glared at him, but opened the door to see Wendy and Alice walking past. The trio stopped, shared a look, and nodded. All understood. They looked down the hall to see a figure standing in a doorway. Natsu closed the door behind him as he joined the group in walking to the purple haired mage.

Anzu looked up at them and shook her head, "Daniel has already left, but before he left, he told me that you would probably come." She closed the door behind her and gave them a look that had the hair standing up on the back of their necks. She stood with her arms crossed and feet braced. "He also said that I shouldn't let you go on after him."

Wendy gulped as Natsu and Alice got into fighting stances. They soon brought their fists back to their sides after seeing Anzu smile and step to the side.

"To be exact, he said, 'They're most likely going to come see me since I'm on good terms with Kotone. Try to delay them.' As far as I'm concerned, I have delayed you by blocking your way," Anzu said, her soft smile slightly illuminated by the moon. "When you go, can you please make sure Daniel doesn't do anything stupid?"

Alice huffed and crossed her arms. Her smirk was familiar to Anzu, who recognized it as her "you-bet-I-can" or "you-doubt-my-abilities?" look.

Anzu noticeably relaxed as if a huge burden turned into feathers that floated away on the wind. She nodded her thanks to Alice and said, "Kotone is calling to Agnocolia by releasing inhuman amounts of magic frequently. Since you all are dragon slayers, Daniel said that the type of magic would be what woke you up and that you would be able to follow her trail easily."

The trio nodded and made their way towards the window at the end of the hall. The floor didn't creak under their soft steps and neither did the window as Alice slowly slid it open. Natsu hopped onto the chilling window sill, but he hardly noticed due to his fire magic.

Anzu cleared her throat, calling for their attention. When they froze, waiting to her to say what she had to say. Anzu quietly said, "Be safe." Then she turned around and opened her own quiet door. She slipped inside before any of them could reply and closed the door behind her.

They were silent, but of course, Alice was the one to break the silence, "Anzu must be really worried. She wouldn't have let us go if she thought that Daniel would come back okay." Alice, becoming impatient, pushed Natsu out the window. She looked out the window to watch him twitch on the ground, obviously not landing on his feet.

Alice then helped Wendy onto the sill and waited for her turn. As Wendy glided to the ground, hardly making a sound, Alice looked over her shoulder. The previously empty hallway was now littered with the residents that lived there. In front of the group was Chyoko and Anzu, all stood quietly. Alice's hand went up to her Empress Shark armband and she nodded to them. "I know," she began, "that I'm not part of the first generation of our organization. Nor am I a descendant of one. I don't see how it is fair that I get to go, while everyone else has to stay."

Chyoko separated from the group and joined Alice. Chyoko smiled as she put her rough hand on Alice's. Slowly, she brought Alice's hand to her face and her smile grew. Alice was surprised when Chyoko slid Alice's armband off and gave it to Anzu.

"But Oba-chan, what are you doing?" Alice asked, flustered.

Chyoko took Alice's hand from her face, only to place it on Alice's chest. "My dear, the reason you're going isn't because you're a member of the Empress Shark. You're going because you're a member of something much bigger. It's because of who and what you are, that you're going and not us." Chyoko rejoined her comrades and turned to say one final thing, "You and Daniel have your roles. We have ours. We will wait for the war and you will help the angel of death." Chyoko returned to smiling as she waved her goodbye, "We wish you the best of luck."

Alice held back tears as she saw her family give her thumbs ups, smiles, and waves of goodbyes. She hopped onto the sill to see Wendy tending to the bump on Natsu's head and she realized that she was standing on a line, a line of fates. That window sill, that cold, wooden window sill was literally and figuratively the door to her future. Behind her was the bliss life she had been living for most of her life, and in front of her, was her future, two dragon slayers and an eventful road. She glanced over her shoulder to see the reassuring smiles one last time, before she jumped into her life of unpredictable outcomes.

* * *

><p>Daniel hid in a groove in the earth that was shielded with rocks. The wind caressed his face as he peaked over the rocks. All around him were trees, but a there were only a couple more in front of him before they faded into a field of grass that reached his shoulders. In the field, was a hill and on that hill sat Kotone.<p>

Her cloak was gone and her make shift toga swayed in the wind, created by her sudden releases of intense magical power. Her short stature just emphasized how much magic she suppressed to a point where it was inhuman. Her silver hair had fallen out of its loose braid, causing her hair, grown over hundreds of years, to whip around in every direction.

Daniel sat mesmerized. He had never seen Kotone's hair out of its loose braid and he figured that she must have some kind of charm to make all that hair fit into her braid.

Daniel searched the sky for any sign of Agnocolia, but to his relief, it was as empty as it was the day before. He moved to get ready to sneak to a closer hiding place, but was stopped by a hand over his mouth.

Daniel was yanked back and he had a moment of panic before he realized whose hand it was. He ripped it off his face and whispered in the quietest voice, "Alice! What are you doing here?"

His reply was her holding a finger up to her lips as she motioned for the others to join them.

Daniel's eyes widened as three more people joined them. He gave Alice an outraged look as she smirked. "Even I know how to sneak up on you with the wind in our favor," she whispered back.

Daniel scowled as he took in the condition of his new team. Natsu and Wendy were dressed, but it was obvious that they did it in a hurry. The last new recruit was new to him and Daniel found himself staring.

Wendy whispered, "This is Gajeel, he woke up and separated from his group when he sensed Kotone's magic."

Daniel nodded his hello as he pointed over the rocks to Kotone. They all peaked over the rocks to see the misleading, child-sized body of Kotone. The breeze faded away with Kotone's magic and her hair came to a state of rest. Her head then looked up, but came back down in a way that they recognized as a sign of disappointment.

"What are you doing here?" her voice whispered in their ears. "I can hear you whispering and moving around. The breeze I create isn't strong enough to mask your sneezes Alice, Natsu."

Alice and Natsu looked at each other, guilty. Daniel rested his head on his hand. He was doing so well before they came.

"Don't think you were any better Daniel. I was prepared to blast you back if stepped into the field. You're not allowed to come any further. From where you are, Agnocolia won't be able to see or hear you, unless you do something stupid," Kotone whispered.

Daniel sighed in defeat as he stood up, not bothering to crouch anymore. He leaned on one of the rocks and tried to figure out what he was going to say. Unfortunately for him, Gajeel beat him to it.

"I think the real question here is," he said, "what are you doing here?"

Kotone looked over at them and visibly sighed. They couldn't hear her sigh, but the rise and fall of her shoulders made it obvious. She gathered up her hair and pulled it over one shoulder. It dragged on the ground, but she ran her fingers through the part that she could. "Young ones these days, you must repeat everything you say in order for them to remember anything. I don't want anyone to die because of me."

"You have a lot of hair…" Natsu commented.

Alice whacked him for his stupidity in the serious situation. Kotone smiled at the change in subject. "I never really thought of cutting it before. I never seemed to have the time or supplies to cut it."

Daniel couldn't hold it in any longer. He didn't understand how they could be talking about hair at such a moment. "Kotone, are you saying that all we can do is watch as Agnocolia takes you away? I can't accept this. I don't think anyone here will accept it."

Kotone released her hair and started walking down the hill. "You don't have much choice in the matter. Listen to me, all of you. I have to go. If I do anything besides go with him, someone will get hurt. I refuse to let the happen for a girl who shouldn't be able to converse with humans." She stopped at the end of the hill, a good couple of meters away from the others. Her magical pressure had pushed the grass on the hill down, so the others could kind of see her. Only her head was visible. "Now be quite, and don't be stupid and come out of hiding. He's here."

Sure enough, the sound of wings flapping filled the air. And even more of the grass was crushed under the tremendous gusts of air. Then the gusts stopped and everything was silent. Natsu was just about to ask Kotone what happened, when Agnocolia, in all his glory, landed with an extreme amount of speed. One moment there was silence...then there was a boom as the earth shook and he was suddenly there.

Agnocolia folded his wings neatly to his back and swung his massive head around so he could behold his rebelling child. His mouth curved down as he immediately became disappointed.

"Why," he asked, "are you in that form? You know I despise your mother's race."

Kotone nodded in understanding but stood there, hesitating as she felt the eyes of her hidden group on her back.

Agnocolia sensed her hesitation and demanded to know what was stopping her. She shifted her weight as she said, "It's been a while since I was in my other form. I don't think I'm ready."

Wendy heard this and her eyes widened as she read between the lines. She glanced at Natsu and Gajeel who returned her nervous look.

"I don't care. Unless you plan to walk away from me, I'm going to require you to be in your proper form," Agnocolia boomed. To emphasize his point, his tail swung behind him, knocking down a row of trees.

Kotone watched the trees fall and heard their screams of protest. She couldn't suppress her flinch as Agnocolia flung his tail over more of the innocent trees. She waited for him to settle down before she reached for her shoulder to unclip her make shift toga.

Taking this as their cue, Natsu and Wendy covered the mouths of Daniel and Alice with their hands. Gajeel continued to look over the rocks, but his hand was off to the side ready to give the signal. Alice and Daniel struggled at first, but when a white light came bursting from over the rocks, they settled down. Soon the white light faded and Gajeel slowly beckoned them forward. Daniel and Alice tried to get up, but Natsu and Wendy held strong. They looked Daniel and Alice in the eyes, showing how serious they were as they slowly lifted their hands off their mouths. They then brought their index fingers to their own mouths in the universal sign to be quiet.

Daniel gave them a confused look as he sat up and almost yelled in shock, if it wasn't for Natsu who slammed his hands back on Daniel's mouth. Alice watched this happen in wonder, but was overcome with curiosity. She sat up and peaked over the rocks. Wendy watched nervously as Alice's face paled.

Before them was the unmistakable dragon of Kotone. Her silver scales shined in the moonlight like polished glass. The belly was as black as black could get, along with the threatening claws. The wings were covered with a sea of constantly moving feathers, which upon closer inspection looked as if they were vibrating. The soft curves of the deceitfully graceful face gave the dragon a sense of dignity and honor that demanded respect.

This being Wendy's second time seeing Kotone's other form, she noticed many more features that had escaped her eye. The eyes that were previously amber color had become more intense and had flakes of red in them. Down her back ran black and red feathers that occasionally vibrated like her wings.

The head really was graceful. It was sleek, almost like a snake's, but elongated like a horse's. The tail was quite puzzling though. In fact, Wendy almost gasped when she realized why it seemed so odd. The feathers that ran down her back went to the end of her tail, but they got thinner and thinner, until they went single file down the tail. As they got thinner, they also seemed to get hard. Then the tip of the tail had a black tip that could only be compared with metal.

Softly, Gajeel whispered, "She's a walking instrument…the red on black looks like a piano."

Wendy nodded her agreement as Natsu scratched his head, wondering what they were talking about. Alice had helped Daniel up and both were gawking at the sight before them.

Daniel was extremely taken off guard at his friend's secret. He had no idea she was a dragon. The story she told Chiyo way back when said that she grew up thinking that she was a dragon, not that she actually was a dragon. He was surprised and most importantly, scared. All he was thinking was, Dragon…Dragons are destructive creatures. Kotone is a destructive creature… It was then that he glanced at Natsu and saw his furious expression. Natsu wanted more than anything to rush out there and beat the crud out of Agnocolia. Daniel was confused on why Natsu would want to help someone, let alone a dragon, he barely knew. He then turned to Alice and was dumbstruck at her own expression; it was a mirror of Natsu's. He faced Kotone again, beholding the dragon in front of him. He saw her eyes glace back at them before they focused on Agnocolia again, but it was more than enough for Daniel to realize how stupid he was being.

This was Kotone he was thinking about. She was worried for their safety and is willing to die for them. So what if she was a dragon? She was still Kotone and he was a fool for forgetting that.

His head met rock as Alice wacked him in the back of the head. "Thanks," he whispered, "I needed that."

Alice nodded and murmured back, "I noticed the panicked look on your face. I forgot you aren't used to seeing dragons and figured you would need some reassurance."

Daniel nodded and lifted his head to watch the scene in front of him. He must have missed something because Kotone was backing up slowly.

"They're just some bugs. There's no need to pay them any attention," she said soothingly.

Agnocolia sniffed in their direction, "But why are there four dragon slayers among them?"

Kotone's ginormous tailed moved till it was a protective barrier in front of the rocks. "They're just four chameleons among insects. That's all they're good for, copying our magic."

He growled his agreement as he stretched out his wings. "Let's go."

Kotone turned to look at her comrades one more time. Their eye's showed rage and shock as she said, "Very well."

Natsu and Alice burst out from behind the rocks, yelling their protests as Gajeel, Wendy, and Daniel all tried to hold them back. Natsu punched Gajeel in the jaw and broke free from Wendy's grasp. He ran at Angocolia, fists aflame. He jumped, ready to hit Agnocolia in the head, only to be saved by Gajeel pulling him down as feathers rained all around them.

Natsu's head whipped around to see Kotone's wings fully stretched out, her sea of feathers shifting on them. "Don't try that again Natsu."

Natsu grinded his teeth and got up, prepared to fight again. Gajeel hit him on the head, causing Natsu to yelp and glare at him. "What do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

Gajeel brought a finger up to his lips and then pointed at the feathers around them. Each was half their height and the edges shook violently. Natsu watched as the shaking slowly faded away. "What the heck?" he asked, causing them to shake all over again, but again, it slowly faded away.

Natsu averted his attention back to Agnocolia and his anger spiked again. He pointed an accusing finger and took a deep breath to start his speech. "Hey! Listen to me! What you're doing is-" He was tackled to the ground by Alice, Daniel and Wendy hanging onto her legs.

Alice glared at Agnocolia and began her own speech, though she was tired from wrestling with Wendy and Daniel. "We, we are not insects. OR chameleons! You think you're superior to us because you're intelligent? News flash! So are we! Not to mention, the last time I checked you're considered an endangered species! Unlike us humans! We're flourishing and prosperous! You are ugh…my head…" Alice stopped her lecture and grabbed her head. Her head was ringing and her vision was becoming blurred.

The same thing was happening to Wendy, Daniel, Natsu, and Gajeel. Daniel came to his knees, covering his ears and hyperventilating. Gajeel and Natsu didn't cover their ears in time and was hit with a full blast of the ringing. Gajeel fell hard and Wendy foolishly uncovered her ears to help him. Her eyes rolled up as she passed out. Alice demanded to know what was happening, only to be met with an amplified ringing. She dropped and Daniel was the only one left. He looked up to see Kotone watching him.

She brought her head up next to him and he tried to focus through his blurred vision. She opened her mouth and gave him a dog-like lick. "Daniel," she said, "Sound is carried over water."

His eyes widened in understanding. He gasped as the ringing got louder and louder, until everything went black.

Kotone looked back at Agnocolia to see his disapproving watch. "You didn't kill them," he said, upset.

"Do you go out of your way to step on a worm?"

"No, I suppose not. Let's go, I'm tired of being delayed."

"One more thing…" She swung her tail through the feather scattered on the ground, cutting them all in half.

Agnocolia growled at her act of kindness, knowing that the feathers were useless and couldn't amplify sound anymore. Kotone smiled inwardly, knowing her friends were safe.

Then they took off, leaving all of the humans behind.

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><p>Gajeel and Natsu were the first to wake up. The grass field was now mowed down and the feathers were gone.<p>

Natsu was mumbling about how stupid this situation was when he realized something. He spun around the face Gajeel, who had woken up everyone else. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "Did she ever say what she was going to do?"

Gajeel stood up and scanned their surrounds, "No. All she said was that she was going with him."

"I thought that meant that she was giving up her freedom," Alice said.

Gajeel walked a little ways toward the hill, until he was right where Kotone had stood. He knelt down and picked up a familiar item. "She might have wanted him to believe that," he said.

Wendy stood and stretched, "But seeing recent events, she's cleverer than we gave her credit for. Who knows, she could have wanted _us_ to believe that she was giving up her freedom but is really turning into a dragon."

That jolted Daniel awake, "Wait a minute, turn into a dragon? What are you talking about?"

"Her mother was pregnant with Kotone when she stumbled upon Agnocolia. He cursed her and Kotone was going to be born as a dragon in an egg. But, her mom cracked the egg and Kotone was given a human soul. But she still developed into a dragon, causing her to have a dragon soul as well. This is why Agnocolia wants to get rid of her human soul in the ritual," Gajeel explained.

"How do you know all that stuff about souls? I thought it made the curse incomplete when her mom cracked the egg," Natsu said.

Gajeel held up the item he found, "I think this would be the source. Does this seem familiar? It looks like the flute that played the lullaby back in Edolas."

Sure enough, it was the same flute that wasn't a cylinder, but more like a cube.

Alice came over and took it out of Gajeel's hand, who growled at her lack of manners. She brought it over to Daniel who inspected it with her.

"So, I'm assuming that she wants us to listen to the lullaby again," Wendy said.

Natsu and Gajeel nodded their agreement and the three of them watched the other two kids tinker with the flute.

Daniel saw something flash on the flute and he asked, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Alice asked. She watched as Daniel poked a spot on the flute. A soft bell started playing and then it was joined by a violin. Natsu's hand slipped into Alice's and Wendy's into Daniel's.

Wendy's soft smile was the last thing everyone saw before they drifted off to sleep again.

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><p><strong>AN IT'S UP! Oh aren't I clever? You still don't know what's happening!**

Natsu: Why do I always get interrupted? *punches in the face* ALSO! I find it extremely annoying that I have no idea what the heck is going on!

**Miu: *caressing her cheek* Sorry, didn't really think of that…but you do know that Kotone has something else up her sleeve…**

Natsu: That's why I'm so upset! Nothing happens in this story without there being a twist!

_Gajeel: Well I'm glad I at least got some screen time…_

**Miu: ANYWAYS! The poll will still be up until next chapter because I made this chapter unclear on what is going to happen. YYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY REVIEW TIME!**

**AquaMiyuki** Thank You for the review and letting me use Anzu! Don't worry, she's gonna be big later on.

**Edward The Pure** Edward. Edward you are an angel sent from above! Of course you can call me Ms. Miu. You can call me anything you want! I'm making this up when I say that I was so happy that I squealed like a little girl when I saw your review. Then, when you reviewed for a second time, I was up and dancing. Third review, I was blasting Don't Stop Believing. For you, I will make an exception. I would love to see/hear of your OC. But see here, I feel bad because I haven't read your entire story. My computer must not like how I'm always on it because it wouldn't let me go on the internet until this morning. Forgive me, I promise that I will continue reading your story soon. I can't this weekend because I have finals all next week and I need to study and get ready. Forgive me you majestic being, right now I'm your number one fan.


	16. The Revelation of the Choice

**A/N I've been reading Soul Eater lately, so maybe that had an influence on this chapter, but I doubt it. I had this planned out from the beginning.**

**Also the poll is now over!**

**42% wanted Kotone to meet with Agnocolia and battle it out**

**14% wanted Kotone to meet with Agnocolia and end her life**

**14% wanted Kotone to meet with Agnocolia and become a dragon**

**14% wanted Kotone to meet with Agnocolia and give up her freedom**

**14% wanted Other**

**AND no one wanted Kotone to run away and let Agnocolia go on a rampage**

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><p>Wendy opened her eyes and saw the sky. The last thing she remembered was the violin from the flute. Maybe she forgot the dream? She sat up, feeling better than she ever had before. She didn't feel any stiffness in her shoulders, a sign from sleeping on the ground. So, she didn't fall asleep…then what happened?<p>

She looked around and saw a familiar field of mustards. Was she in the dream?

"Wha-?" Daniel asked as he jumped up. "What happened?"

Wendy said that she had no idea and got up, only to hear Natsu ad Alice yelling in the distance. Daniel and Wendy looked at each other, confused.

Natsu and Alice came running from a distance behind them. Alice was chasing after Natsu, a ferocious look on her face and a terrified one on Natsu's.

"How dare you call me short-tempered!" Alice screeched. "You're one to talk you bimbo!"

Natsu came to a stop and rounded on Alice, "What did you call me? You're so stupid that you thought that the flowers were bees when you woke up!"

"There was no need to hit me!"

"Well you bit me!"

"That was only because you…"

"Stop it!" Wendy exclaimed. "We don't know what's going on. We shouldn't be arguing at a time like this."

Natsu and Alice kept glaring at each other as they reluctantly acknowledged Wendy's logic. Seeing this, Wendy sighed in relief. She was worried that they would beat each other silly if the fight escalated anymore.

Daniel's gasp brought their attention to himself as he pointed and said, "What is that?"

They looked at where he was pointing to see a white light heading straight at them. They turned to try to outrun it, but who can outrun light? They only managed to take a step before they were engulfed in the light.

They braced themselves for whatever was going to happen, but by the time they had opened their eyes, the field of mustards had disappeared and Edolas had replaced everything. They were standing on one of the floating islands and behind them was Edo-Fairy Tail.

"What is this place?" Alice asked, full of awe. She walked up to the doors , but right when she was going to grab the handle, it flew open, going straight through her. Alice watched as an older version of Wendy walked straight through her.

"We're in Edolas…" Wendy said, watching as her Edo-self walked by with a sheet of paper in her hand, probably a mission she accepted. "What's going on? We're not really in Edolas because Edo-Fairy Tail is back in the forest and not the desert."

"Edo-what?" Daniel asked, since Alice was frozen in the doorway.

"It's an alternate world that is like a twisted version of our own. I don't know how to explain it," Wendy replied.

Alice yelped and jumped out of the way as an extremely enthusiastic version of Kotone bounced out of the open doors of the guild.

"Well," she said, waving good-bye to the people in the guild, "Edolas is in some ways the same as Earthland except we had different experiences than the Earthland. In our eyes, you guys are the twisted version of Edolas!" She slammed the doors closed and turned to face them. A frown came over her face, "Where is the other one? Five of you entered the dream, but only four are here."

Her only reply was mouths gapping like their jaws were made of rocks. She giggled and motioned for them to follow her as she flipped into a handstand. "Oh well, we'll find Gajeel along the way."

She started walking away on her hands and left the others to scramble after her. She was surprisingly fast on her hands. Eventually she had to stop in the middle of a forest and wait for them to catch up. When they arrived, gasping for air, she started cartwheeling around them.

"Wow you guys are so slow! I'm used to solo missions so I never realized how slow others are!" she said as she did a round house and landed perfectly on her feet.

"What are you talking about? What's going on? Where are we?" Daniel demanded.

She plopped down, realizing it would take a while for them to catch their breath. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" They shook their heads as they also sat down. Edo-Kotone sighed and replied, "I'm the real Edo-Kotone. But Earthland Kotone doesn't know that I'm living in her dream scape-ergh her dreams. I was never real actually. Edolas had to keep the balance when Kotone was born, so I appeared when Kotone's mom cracked the egg!

"Kotone's soul was disrupted, causing it to become fragmented. The human soul she had split in two and one half stayed with her, while the other is me! So, the dragon soul would have been incomplete if it took over the human soul and the curse made it start from scratch, leaving the human fragment alone. That resulted in Kotone's human form when she couldn't see. When the dragon soul couldn't use her eyes, the human soul was able to take control.

"Now me, I was lost and confused and ended up in Edolas, where I grew up. Then basically when you guys came to Edolas, Kotone and I knew that if I didn't return to Kotone, the human soul we shared would die, resulting in her permanent dragon form and my death. Kotone was able to take off her bandages in Edolas because our soul reconnected the fragments the moment she entered Edolas. It was only a matter of time till my body disintegrated and I could finally become whole. I'm so happy I'm whole, there's no longer this empty feeling inside of me. Of course I'm sad that I can't be with my friends in Edolas, but Kotone's friends are just as nice."

"So that's how you knew Gajeel's name!" Wendy blurted out.

Edo-Kotone nodded and waited for any questions they might have had. Unfortunately, they didn't understand that was what her silence meant and they just sat there in silence. She giggled at their awkward silence and asked if they had questions.

Natsu's hand shot up as if he was in kindergarten and had Edo-Kotone giggling again. She called on him to amuse him and he said, "Kotone said she trained so she could see and still stay in her human form, but you just said it was because you soul got reconnected."

Edo-Kotone nodded and answered, "We were one soul, just in separate places. The soul had a strong desire to become complete and Kotone and I did have a bond, it just wasn't strong. She was training on how to strengthen the bond. She managed to make it able for our subconscious to talk to each other, or in simple terms, talk in our dreams. With that improvement, she was able to hold the human form without the bandages for 30 seconds. After years of practice, she was able to manage a little over ten minutes. When she accomplished that, she decided to go pay Makarov a visit, but as you, Magnolia was sucked into Edolas."

Alice raised her hand and said, "Kotone, do you know where Gajeel is?"

Edo-Kotone smiled and replied, "Yes, he's hiding behind those trees, deciding if I'm dangerous or not."

Gajeel emerged and plopped down next to them, embarrassed that she was able to find him so easily. "How long did you know I was there?"

Her grin got bigger as she giggled, "I heard you back at the guild! Why do you think I hurried here and stopped right in front of you?"

He grumbled as a slight blush came over his face. She knew where he was before he did.

Her smiled dimmed as she said, "You shouldn't call me Kotone. I may have the same appearance as her and share the same soul. But while I was in Edolas I gained my own mind and conscious, which is why I'm still an entity that can't be changed in Kotone's mind. I have my own little mind, floating among her thoughts."

Daniel frowned, "But then what are we going to call you?"

Edo-Kotone thought for a moment. She scratched her head, but that didn't seem to help because she hoped onto her hands and started pacing with them. Then she stopped and said, "I don't know. Why don't you give me a name?" She sat back down and watched them ponder for a moment.

Alice scratched her head and asked, "Well, what do you want your name to represent?"

Edo-Kotone tilted her head to the side, "Represent? Like as in represent my personality or my appearance?" Alice nodded. "I never thought about that before…Well if I wanted my name to represent something, I guess I would want my name to represent that I'm a part of Kotone. Because, if you think about it, I am Kotone except I lived a different life than her and I will always be slightly different. Eventually, Kotone will realize I'm inside her and who knows what will happen then. I might merge with her, becoming one person, or she might increase my existence and even let me enter her conscious mind. I guess if she did that, we'd come across as bipolar though…"

Everyone was silent after that, until Edo-Kotone jumped up and said, "It doesn't really matter though, I'm not going to exist for much longer." She stretched and starting walking away, making the others scramble after her again.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean you won't exist for much longer?" Gajeel asked.

She looked over her shoulder, "She hasn't told you yet? Strange, maybe that's why she dropped the music box."

Their confused expressions made her giggle as she cart wheeled around them as they walked. "The item Kotone dropped for you guys is another one of her inventions. She altered the flute for some reason and she named it the music box."

"That would explain the bells and violin. I figured that since it was a magic item that it could play a different noise than it was made for," said Wendy.

Edo-Kotone nodded, "I'm assuming she created it to be much like the flute and induce a dream for whoever hears it. But, I don't think she worked out all the bugs in it. I know that she filled it with certain memories and I got dragged into the box as well. I also know that once the dream has ended, everything in the box will return to Kotone once the song or dream has ended. I don't know the purpose of the box though. Maybe it was yet another delay tactic or she wanted you guys to find something in it. Either way, I'm going to help you guys!"

"If this is another delay tactic, it wouldn't really be that efficient. The flute made us sleep for only a couple of minutes," Natsu said.

Edo-Kotone cartwheeled around Natsu as she said, "But it was modified, remember? Who knows how long you'll sleep this time? You could sleep for a minute or a month." Their worried expressions had her quickly cheering them up. "Don't worry," she said, "I'm here and I can probably get you out if you sleep for more than an hour. Right now, on Earthland you've been asleep for about ten seconds."

They breathed a sigh of relief as she started skipping. Wendy frowned and couldn't help as a few tears formed in her eyes.

Edo-Kotone was immediately next to her, asking what was wrong. It was an odd sight, a blue haired girl being comforted by a silver haired girl that was the exact same height, but the silver haired girl was obviously much more mature by the way she handled the depressed girl.

Wendy brought her hands to her face, embarrassed by how emotional she was. She hiccupped as she said, "I j-just realized what you m-meant by 'I won't e-exist for much longer!' I p-promise we'll stop her. If she knew y-you were here-hic-she w-wouldn't!"

Edo-Kotone placed Wendy's head on her shoulder and let the girl cry. She was smiling as she kissed the girl's head and said, "Don't tell her I'm here. I know I won't be whole, but I'll be touching the hearts of many people for decades. I'm happy and proud of her choice. Besides, if she didn't take part in the ritual, Agnocolia would just use another human. And unlike Kotone, if another human was put into the ritual, they wouldn't survive like Kotone. It's fine. I'm at peace with her choice."

The other members of the group felt their stomach's drop when they heard Edo-Kotone's explanation. Edo-Kotone would only experience being whole for a few days, only to end up dying in the ritual.

Alice's eyes were cast down as she asked, "What exactly is the ritual?"

Edo-Kotone looked at the sky as the blinding white light changed the area into Magnolia. "Well, it requires a human soul that is rich of magic, the richer the soul the better the outcome. The ritual turns the soul into pure magic, which is why it already needs to be full of magic. The magic gets extracted and can be given to someone else to enhance their magical capabilities. There are deadly side effects and proper rules in order for it to be effective. First of all the ritual has to take place under the second blue moon of the year. Normally, blue moons only happen once a year, so this is why Agnocolia required Kotone to go with him yesterday. The second blue moon is tomorrow. Also, the side effects, if the amount of pure magic is more than the user can handle, it disintegrates the body while trying to find room to host all the magic. I personally believe Agnocolia biting off more than he can chew."

Daniel's knuckles popped as he clenched his fists, "Why didn't Kotone tell us anything?"

Wendy started crying even harder as she said, "K-Kotone lov-ves us! She d-d-didn't w-want us t-to w-worry or-r c-car-ry her bur-rden!"

Edo-Kotone placed her hand on Wendy's head as the crying continued, "Y-Your th-the s-same way! C-comf-forting s-someon-ne y-you don't-t e-even know!"

Edo-Kotone hugged the girl as the crying seemed to intensify. _I don't need to know someone in order to help them. There need to be more people like you out there Wendy, crying for someone you don't even know,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Another chapter up! I bet you didn't see that coming! I bet you forgot about Edo-Kotone! WELL! I have a new poll up since Kotone's choice has been revealed. I going to let you choose Edo-Kotone's name! Here are your options (fun-fact that might help you in your decision, Kotone means harp sound):**

**Kay**-As an abbreviation to Kotone by just keeping the "K"

**Kalpana**-This is an Indian name meaning Dream or Fantasy

**Etsuko**-Japanese name with "Etsu" meaning joy and "ko" meaning child, so child of joy

**Joy**-describing Edo-Kotone's optimistic attitude

**Kanon**- Japanese name with "Ka" meaning flower and "non" as sound, so sound of the flowers

**Suzune**-Japanese for bell sound

**And then if you have any names you want taken into consideration, review with the name of your choice. I will put up a poll with these names and a choice of other. I will allow up to two choices person, thank you very much.**

**REVIEWS!**

**TheOrangeNeko** Your comment made me so happy! The fact that you like how I'm using Alice means that I must be doing something right. I hope that this chapter blew your mind along with everyone else's.

**EdwardThePure** You are a human being that made my week. Also your surprise to how smart Kotone is, surprised me. Kotone has had hundreds of years to plan this out and think of every possible outcome, so I think she's a little prepared for almost anything. By the way, I have created the perfect role for you OC and I'm so excited! It's so perfect and I'm so glad I thought up this role! Also, thanks for wishing me good luck on finals and it's totally fine that you did three reviews. The fact that you went back to add more when you didn't need to, made my week.

**ONWARD MY Royal Loyal Readers! Until next time! …Which will probably be a little while due to finals and essays...**


	17. Level One

**A/N Hello my Royal Loyal Readers! I'm going to call you that from now on, yeah…I think I will. Finals are over!Sorry it took so long for this chapter to get up, but because of an intriguing idea I got in a review, I edited the events that were originally going to take place in this chapter. I was able to write this today because I had burst of inspiration to do so! **

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><p>Wendy's tears had reduced a considerable amount before they continued walking through the ever changing scenery. Now all they could hear from her was her footsteps, but even those were quite.<p>

Her silence was nerve wracking and had the group glancing over their shoulders. The only ones that seemed unaffected were Edo-Kotone and Alice, who were also being glanced at. Edo-Kotone had stopped cartwheeling and was walking normally. Alice couldn't stop cracking her knuckles and seemed jittery.

The guys were wondering if it had something to do with how a girl's mind works, and as time went on, their concern didn't falter. The girls' symptoms seemed to only get more intense the farther they walked.

Daniel, starting to feel awkward in the tense atmosphere, tried to start a conversation going. "So," he said, "where are we going?"

Edo-Kotone twitched and returned to life. Her smile turned up to full blast as she turned around while still walking, "I have no idea!" She started cartwheeling again. Her cartwheels were so fast that she was starting to become a blur. She almost bumped into Wendy, causing her the flinch.

"Wait!" Natsu exclaimed. "What do you mean you have no idea? You mean we're walking around, wasting time?"

"Calm down Natsu! We don't want you to blow a fuse because I know Alice is going to follow shortly," Daniel commented.

*Twitch* "WHAT WAS THAT?" Alice erupted. "SHRINKY-DINK SAYS _WHAT_? You little turd monkey! I'm gonna make you regret that!"

Alice stomped over to Daniel and brought her fist up, only to have it grabbed by Edo-Kotone. "I would prefer it if there was no violence while in this dream." Her grip tightened, causing Alice's hand to turn a slight shade of purple.

"What do you want, _Fraud_?" Alice snapped. "You're not even the real Kotone and you pretend like we're best buddies!"

Edo-Kotone's smile turned bitter as a cloud passed overhead. She glanced up and her smile disappeared as she threw Alice's hand away from her. "We need to keep moving," she said. She turned around and glared up at the cloud.

Daniel looked at the sky to see what Edo-Kotone was seeing, but he didn't see anything unusual. The cloud was light a fluffy, almost playful as it drifted lazily through the sky.

Alice wasn't done though; she pushed Daniel away from her and moved onto Natsu. She got right up in his face, "It's been bothering me ever since you rammed into me when we first met. I've wanted to beat the crud outta you for as long as I met you…FIGHT ME! Right here, right now!"

Natsu's face twisted into one of rage. He got right up in her face as well and said, "Oh yeah? I've wanted to fight you ever since I heard you were a dragon slayer. A water dragon slayer even! I bet my fire will burn you before you can touch me!"

"You imbecile! You're at an automatic disadvantage! I'm gonna wipe the floor with you and use you as a snot rag before you can count to three! That is, IF you can count at all!" Alice yelled into his face.

Gajeel scoffed and pushed both of them. "I don't care what either of you say. I know none of you can even compare with me!" He kept walking forward, only to be arm railed by Edo-Kotone.

"Calm down," Edo-Kotone stated before she continued cartwheeling.

Gajeel growled at her, rubbing his neck. He huffed as he passed her, snarling like a dog.

Alice pushed Natsu before charging at Gajeel, "Yo metal face! Get your butt back over here! I gotta teach you a lesson!"

"You can't beat me! I doubt you can even beat Wendy! Where is that little pip squeak anyways?" Gajeel grumbled angrily.

Alice kicked Gajeel's knees out from under him, watching as he fell. "Well I can't find her over your fat head!"

"She ain't that tall moron!" He snapped back.

Natsu stomped over, stepping on Gajeel in the process, "If you can beat Wendy, then you can try to beat us!" He motioned toward the blue haired girl behind him. Something was off. Daniel knew this. As to confirm his hypothesis, Edo-Kotone was eyeing him out of the corner of her eye in an almost angry-calm fashion…neutrality with a bite. She was standing up, not cartwheeling, but she was swaying back and forth, as if impatient to continue walking.

Daniel spun around and saw Alice pushing everyone out of her way, heading towards Wendy. There it was again, that feeling, that something was wrong. He turned to Edo-Kotone to see her still watching him out of the corner of her eye, but her bite was gone. She looked relaxed, not happy, but relaxed. Daniel's head cocked to the side in confusion before he heard Alice's screams. He looked back to see Alice on the ground, holding her ankle.

"STUPID ROOT!" She yelled.

"That's just sad. You didn't even make it to Wendy!" Natsu exclaimed.

Alice glared at him as Gajeel fell to the ground, rolling with laughter.

Alice started mouthing off at the both of them, but Natsu soon joined Gajeel on the ground, both were crying from laughing so hard. This made Alice jump on them and a brawl broke out. Their screaming and yelling were fuelled by a breeze that drifted through the new scenery of Alice's old training ground. They rolled into the water and Daniel felt even more uneasy. Edo-Kotone, he noticed, wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, she was looking at the sky, where a few clouds hovered now.

He kept glancing around, confused. "What's going on?" he screeched at Edo-Kotone, who was still looking at the sky.

"Negative energy…" she murmured, "so this is what she wanted us to do…" Daniel looked up at the sky, there were multiple dark clouds forming and circling.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" he yelled over the gusts of wind that now filled the old training ground.

Then suddenly everything went quiet, much to the fighting trio's obliviousness. "VERY WELL!" Alice boomed, "Let me fight Wendy and that will settle this!"

"Don't trip on your way over there!" Natsu teased.

Alice stood and faced Wendy, "You ready Wendy? Be careful, we're fighting in my domain now. I know this area inside out, not to mention there's water everywhere." She brought her hands up and stepped into deeper water. "Got any last words before I prove how weak you are compared to us?"

"Wshh yald shuddin," Wendy murmured, looking at the ground.

"What was that pushover?" Alice taunted. "If you're scared, I can give you the first punch."

Wendy's hand flew up, pointing at Alice, and she glared at her as she said, "I repeat, 'I wish you all would shut up!'" All the pent up wind shot at Alice, pushing her into the sky filled with dark clouds, until she was a speck that could not be determined.

Natsu's and Gajeel's jaw dropped at the unexpected burst of power. Natsu lamely pointed a finger at Wendy and tried to say something, but no sound came out. Gajeel started blubbering like a fish out of water and raised his own trembling finger.

Daniel was pulling at his hair, over run with panic and worry. "Oh no," he said, "Wendy killed Alice!"

But then there was a faint sound of screaming and everyone looked to the sky. A small figure came down like a speeding bullet, but it looked like a snail's pace for the people on the ground.

Alice's descent appeared to become faster and faster until she was almost upon them. Her feet were flailing beneath her and hair flaring above her in her ponytail.

Wendy's fist flew up and Alice's jaw landed right on it, causing Gajeel and Natsu's jaws to drop all the way to the ground. Alice slid off of Wendy's fist to the ground, unconscious.

Wendy spun around and glared at the boys, "I'm not weak!"

Both of them raised their hands up and shook their heads. "Of course not!" they said in unison.

Daniel was biting his nails as he glanced at Alice and then at Kotone, "Um, not Kotone?"

She looked in his direction, but not exactly at him. "Yes Daniel?" Her eyes wandered to the sky and then to the ground, then to the new scenery of the Empress Shark's home.

"What's going on?" he asked, his hands started shaking.

Her eyes drifted past him as she started pacing again. "Well," she said, "I think what's going on is that the dev-oh there's a spider web over there!"

"What?" Daniel asked, watching her as she ran to a corner of the room. "What were you saying?"

"Oh, right. I'mgoingtohavetotalkfastsoIdon''ttakenasecondlookatitsinceshe'screateditandithasn''! Phew all in one breath! Quite amazing don't you think Mr. Dustbunny? Oh! Don't run away! Oh look at the chair! It's so shiny!" Kotone wandered.

"What? What did you say?" Daniel asked, shaking.

"Idiot! Basically she said that the music box is incomplete and there are bugs in it, causing us to act out our worst qualities," Gajeel snapped.

"Well then why didn't she just say that?" Natsu yelled.

"Because it's freaking obvious that her worst quality is her lack of focus! She had to say as much as she could before she forgot!" Gajeel yelled back.

"Oh yeah? Then what's your worst quality? I bet it's everything!" Natsu retorted, getting up in Gajeel's face.

"Wrong hothead! It's the same as yours and Alice's! We have a short-temper!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"You're right. Maybe your worst quality is actually your stupidity!"

"It's not that either! Maybe you're the stupid one!"

"Am not! I was the only one who understood the other Kotone!"

"If you're so smart, what are Wendy's and Daniel's worst qualities?"

"Wendy's is her lack of ability to stand up for herself! I have no idea for this Daniel kid! I only met him a few hours ago! He looks pretty panicked though, so maybe his worst quality is that he panics a lot!"

Daniel glanced at them, "No, I'd have to say that my worst quality is my lack of ability to make tough decisions. I usually follow the plan and I never stray."

"Well I don't care!" Gajeel yelled.

Daniel looked away and started fiddling with his fingers, wondering what he should do. Everything was in chaos, making him feel a little lost.

"I just thought of something!" Edo-Kotone said as she leaped over Daniel. "What if we're supposed to find something in the bugs?"

"What? Why would we want to look for something in these stupid bugs? They're annoying!" Gajeel yelled.

Kotone was sitting next to Alice, poking her in the face with a stick, paying no attention to the others.

"Other Kotone!" Natsu yelled at her.

"Right!" she jumped up and ticked off each reason on her fingers, "First, there is a reason Kotone would create something so elaborate. Second, she wouldn't have purposefully placed something for you to find if it was dangerous. Third, when Wendy was-oh my gosh aren't you the cutest thing or what?" She picked up a little bunny from the now forest floor.

"The third reason?" Gajeel chided.

"Oh yes, the third reason is when Wendy was gathering the winds, I saw the hole I've been expecting," she finished and continued rubbing her face in the bunny's fur.

"What hole?" Natsu asked.

"Mmmm, so soft. Oh, the hole. Soft bunny…..THE HOLE! Oh my gosh the hole! The hole that I've been looking for is right above us! But we can't go through it yet," she said, dropping the bunny. "We have to find whatever Kotone wanted us to find before we go."

"What are you talking about?" Gajeel asked.

She smacked her face and said, "Ouch…Okay. The music box has three sections in it. Think of it as a game, okay? Right now, we're on level one and we have to find the key to the door in order to progress to the next level. I bet this is how you're supposed to get out of the device as well. But I doubt she believed you would figure this out yourself. She would have…left an obvious clue for you guys. We need to find it so we know if we're on the right…track." Edo-Kotone was starting to break out in a sweat. She was trying to concentrate when the bugs were pulling at it from all different directions. At that moment she let them take over and her eyes started wandering again.

Wendy walked over, hands on her hips. She looked up at Natsu and Gajeel and stated, "We need to start looking for this 'key' so we can get out of here and find Kotone. Since this other Kotone and Daniel aren't going to be of much help, it's up to us. I suggest we look for anything off in the scenery."

Kotone leaned onto Wendy and started hugging her. Her innocent smile shone at Natsu and Gajeel as she said, "You're so cute! I wish none of you would ever grow up so Kotone wouldn't be lonely when you're all gone!"

Gajeel and Natsu growled at her before they reluctantly scanned the area, but soon they became impatient and started knocking down everything around them. Edo-Kotone rolled when they tried to knock down trees, but the scene would shift and they ended up falling over themselves.

Wendy searched for what felt like forever but she ended up plopping down next to Kotone, who was drawing a mustache on Alice's face.

"You know," Edo-Kotone remarked, "We've spent about three hours of normal time on this floor. There are two more floors and I can only assume that they are just as hard, if not harder."

Wendy groaned as she saw how hopeless their situation was. She looked over to Natsu and Gajeel, who were kicking over rocks, but they seemed to be running out of energy. Wendy watched them make their way to the rest of the group and fall to the ground, asleep. She smiled at their relaxed expressions and looked up to the sky.

The hole Edo-Kotone pointed out was now obvious. It was in the shape of an oval and was a deep blue before it faded away to reveal dirt. The dirt faded into more sky where lazy clouds drifted by.

Wendy lazily drifted off to sleep, just like the clouds above her, leaving Edo-Kotone and Daniel as the only ones still awake. Together, the group made a circle with their heads on the inside and their feet pointing out of the circle. Edo-Kotone had moved so Daniel's head was on her lap and she was running her fingers through his hair since she was the one amongst them that still had enough energy to move.

Daniel watched her face as her fingers worked their magic on his nerves, calming him down. He felt his muscles relax and his tremors stop. His breath moved a few strands of Edo-Kotone's hair, making her smile.

"Someone seems like they are done panicking," she commented.

He smiled as his eye lids fluttered, "Yeah, thanks." He felt like he was lifting lead, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't confirm or deny his beliefs. But he didn't want to, what if she thought he was weird? But she wouldn't because if she was anything like Kotone, she wouldn't think he was weird. Then again, she had been telling them earlier that she wasn't the same as Kotone. But, the important parts were the same. That much he could tell. He looked at her smile and his debate came to an end. He wouldn't feel right if he didn't do it. His hand came up and his fingers brushed her face, causing Edo-Kotone to look at him with confusion.

"Sorry," he whispered, "but you looked just like my sister for a moment. I had to confirm that she wasn't you. She used to brush my hair like this before mom died. She was a lot happier then…too."

His eyes closed and he fell asleep, arm coming down on his stomach. Edo-Kotone felt her energy start to drain away and stopped brushing Daniel's hair. She then patiently waited, fighting off her drowsiness. Her head bobbed as time went on.

A sudden movement caught her eye and she watched as Daniel's face twitched. She gulped and dragged her arm above Daniel's head. She inspected his face, waiting for the twitch…her arm was aching and her fingertips felt numb. Sweat formed on her forehead as she used all of her energy to stay awake and from somewhere in her usual hyperactive body came the strength to keep her arm hovering above Daniel's face.

***Twitch***

Her hand dove into Daniel's twitching mouth, causing him to stir in his sleep.

"Dang bug," she murmured, "you got us pretty good if Daniel didn't wake up to that…forgive me Daniel…"

Her hand went further down his throat until half of her forearm was down Daniel's mouth. She heard him groan and saw his eyes flutter, making her frantic to get the deed done before he woke up. She felt her hand bump into something cold and clutched it. Daniel yelped in his sleep, causing Edo-Kotone to glance at him nervously.

"Daniel, I'm not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt," she whispered. She yanked her hand and the cold item out of Daniel's mouth, producing a scream from Daniel as he curled into the fetal position.

Kotone examined the "bug" in her hand. It was a tadpole-like ball of ever changing color. A ball that captured a rainbow and then fell in snot. It was disgusting but at the same time beautiful.

She lifted it above her head and threw it on the ground with all of her might. It shattered into millions of tiny rainbow pieces, allowing Edo-Kotone to relax. But then the pieces started vibrating. She watched as the pieces slowly moved to the center of the circle, going around Edo-Kotone as she watched them, dumbfounded. As the pieces moved past her, she noticed the rainbow pieces forming shapes. She smiled and started laughing at them. She lifted her head to the sky and said, "I get it. Kotone you sneaky girl." She looked at Daniel's once again relaxed face. _Good job Daniel…One down, three more to go…_

* * *

><p>AN Are you confused my Royal Loyal Readers? Next chapter Edo-Kotone will finally be named! There something to look forward to! Now for reviews! (because I'm too lazy to finish my A/N today.)

**TheOrangeNeko** Thank you for wishing me good luck! I managed to get an A- on my Biology final and I hate science! Best grade I ever got in that class too! I'm glad you like how I'm using Alice, your lovely little creation. Quite a handful when with Natsu, but still lovely.

**keisha . latumahina** Such praise! I'm flattered! I hope I did justice to your ingenious idea. I had a hard time trying to figure out where and how I would fit it into the music box arc because after the music box, they ****** ***** ****. (Classified information has been blocked out for reader's discretion referring to future chapters.) So I had to do it during this chapter or the next…or maybe even the next if I decide to divide the levels into three chapters. Unfortunately, I had to erase my whole initial idea for the music box, but I like this new version just as much. I tried to make her outburst as shocking and as funny as I could possibly make it under the circumstances they were in. *Falls into dogeza* I'm incredibly sorry if you found my altered version to be a failure!

**Edward the Pure** I must also thank you for wishing me good luck on my finals. I feel bad since I have only read about three more chapters of your story….I plan on raiding and terrorizing those chapters this weekend. ALSO, YES! Your character is perfect! I needed someone like her for a specific role and I originally planned on creating someone on the fly. Everything is just falling into place now! Thank you! Another note, I had debated for a little while about making Kotone fight Agnocolia, but I realized ****** wouldn't work if she fought because then Agnocolia would have to *** ***** in order to ********. (Classified information has been blocked out for reader's discretion referring to future chapters.) Glad you enjoyed my last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one equally.

**Miu: *Waving* That's all for today folks!**

_Gajeel: I TOLD YOU BEFORE! THIS ISN'T AN ANIME! OR A MANGA!_

***Still waving* I still have the ability to put you in a tutu and make you act like a girly girl. Good day!**


	18. Conspiracy Against Oneself

The shapes continued to move past Edo-Kotone. She watched them go, not really focusing on them anymore. Each symbol trying to comfort her, but none succeeding as they raced by to form the ladder to the next level. The first couple of the symbols drove nails through her eyes and infiltrated her mind as they melted into an icy liquid that froze around her heart. Each symbol of comfort was adding another layer to that already frozen heart. The symbols were for her. The rest of them were sent there for her. She was another delay tactic. She was assisting her own doom. She was at peace with her fate. She wasn't going to let Kotone make the children live the rest of their lives with regret.

Edo-Kotone looked down at Daniel's sleeping face and continued on to Wendy, the innocent little girl she was. Next to Wendy was rough Gajeel, who reminded Edo-Kotone of a porcupine. He has a hard, repelling shell, but if he lets you past that, he's a total softy that could pass as a teddy bear. Next to him was Natsu. He was the perfect representation of his own element. He can do amazing things and is always full of energy but if you upset him he'll burn you. Next to Natsu was Alice. Alice, oh Alice…cocky brat that is full of herself but has the ability to make you love her anyways. Next to Alice is Daniel, completing the circle. He has no magic even though he was born in a family that was known for its unusual magic. He is a little too serious about things, but is just as sweet as his sister. Then last but not least, Edo-Kotone was back at the beginning, herself. She could only think of one word for herself: Hyper. She knew that there was more to her, but she couldn't think of anything that would make her feel better about herself.

She sighed and decided to do something she had promised herself she would never do, use her deduction skills to trump Kotone. It was only then that she felt better about herself and started moving. She princess carried the boy who was two heads taller than her and threw him into the now liquid ladder. Daniel grunted as he hit the Jell-O like ladder. Then the ladder reacted and the rainbow liquid rippled as it stretched across his body. It slowly pulled him in and then he was like a bubble in a straw, slowly making his way to the top.

Edo-Kotone grinned as she picked up Wendy next, who stirred slightly, signaling that everyone would be waking up soon. Edo-Kotone threw her at the ladder as she picked up Gajeel next. He took a little more time than Edo-Kotone would have liked. She ended up dragging (actually rolling) him to the ladder. She hurried back to Natsu, but he was fidgeting by the time she got to him. He actually woke up for a moment right before she was going to throw him into the ladder.

"What's going on? We need to destroy the bug!" he exclaimed, causing Alice to rub her eyes.

Edo-Kotone glanced at Alice as she rolled onto her back and yawned. Edo-Kotone quickly replied to Natsu, "Taken care of!" She knocked him out with one strong punch to the stomach and threw him into the ladder.

Edo-Kotone turned to see Alice watching her, still half asleep. When she saw the liquid ladder sucking Natsu in, she became wide eyed, "What was that? Don't come near me I don't want to go near that thing!"

Edo-Kotone silently cursed her bad luck before a thought occurred to her and made her smile triumphantly. "Wow," she said, "I didn't take Alice for a coward. I guess Natsu and Gajeel really are stronger than her to be able to jump in there without hesitating."

A tick mark appeared on Alice's forehead and a frown replaced her gaping mouth. "Yeah right!" she exclaimed. "I just saw you knock Natsu out!"

Edo-Kotone sighed and stood there for a moment, coming into a staring contest with Alice. To an observer, they could see lightning sparks from their determined eyes. Suddenly Edo-Kotone had Alice in an arm-lock and shoved her into the ladder.

Alice struggled to fight off the tentacles of the rainbow ladder, but they succeeded as expected. She still banged against the walls of the ladder while trying to hold her breath.

"Calm down and you'll get out faster! Don't struggle and it's okay to breathe you know!" Edo-Kotone yelled up to her as she entered the ladder as well.

Alice couldn't hear her and attempted to bang the walls even harder but the ladder was difficult to move in. She felt something bump against her feet and saw Edo-Kotone holding her head as she motioned for Alice to calm down. Alice complied and then found herself shooting up. She flew out of the ladder and landed with a grunt.

They were now back on the trail that Lucy and the others were on as they chased after Kotone. A little dirt path that is commonly used by traders or traveling performers. Trees were all that could be seen on either side of the path and the path seemed to have been used recently, due to many footprints.

Alice put her hands on the ground and realized she was on something soft, she looked down and saw Wendy waking up.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Alice screamed for a moment as she flung herself away as fast as she could. "Don't come near me either! I don't wanna go sky diving again!" Alice rubbed her sore jaw, "Or get a wicked punch like that again!"

Wendy sat up and stretched as she yawned her salutations. Alice crab walked backwards but bumped into something as she was scurrying away. She glanced up and saw her other nightmare. Edo-Kotone rubbed her mouth as her eyes focused on Alice.

"Alice," Edo-Kotone said as she started cracking her knuckles, "why didn't you listen to me the first time when I said to calm down? Now I have a lump on my head with your name all over it! How are we going to solve this dilemma?"

Alice gulped as sweat formed on her forehead, but to her relief, Natsu hopped up and spotted Edo-Kotone.

"Yo…whatever you want us to call you!" he yelled. He stomped over to her, stepping on Gajeel in the process. Natsu squatted to look Edo-Kotone in the eye as he glared at her, "Why did you knock me out?"

"To get you to the next level without you getting motion sickness, I was only thinking of your best interests," she replied. She disregarded the hostile growling coming from Natsu as she helped Daniel get up. He was holding his stomach in agony but seemed to get over it as he walked it off.

Gajeel whacked Natsu for stepping on him, causing Natsu to stop growling at Edo-Kotone long enough for her to get their attention.

"I destroyed the first bug and we have two more to go. I sincerely hope we get this floor done faster than the last since it's about 11:00 in normal time. We've wasted almost five hours of normal time on the first floor and I can guarantee these next two floors are harder. Kotone wouldn't make this easy and I sure don't want to waste time. At the rate we're going, you'll get out of here at 11PM normal time. Since I know you don't want to waste a day in here, I suggest we get a move on. The only way the bugs will reveal themselves is if we walk through each floor. Since we are aware of the bugs we will notice them faster, making up valuable time. Knowing Kotone, this level will probably be either something to do with the body or another characteristic of emotions. If either of these is not the case then I will say that you guys have been played for fools. Because she knows deductive skills is not a strong point for any of you. What this means is that if this level's bug's side effect is random, then Kotone has figured out that I am here, which I'm pretty sure she knows by now, and that I am helping you guys get out of here. Are there any questions?" Edo-Kotone asked in her assertive voice.

Daniel raised his hand like a kid back in school and waited to be called upon. When Edo-Kotone nodded to him he asked, "Well, um, other Kotone, what happened to the bug? How did you find it and, well for lack of a better word, destroy it? This information could help us detect the next bug."

Edo-Kotone hesitated as she watched Daniel wait for her answer, "Well, uh…where did I find it? Um, well…why your stomach hurt so badly when you woke up is the answer to that question. Before you ask how I figured out where it was, I noticed you twitching when everyone else was like a stone. That meant that you were being affected differently and since I couldn't see the bug on you I figure it was in you."

Daniel's hand flew up to his mouth and realized how tired it felt. Like when you go to the dentists and they pull your lips away from your teeth in order to get a better view. It felt like that only ten times worse. His hand went to his throat and realized how dry and sore it felt. "But," he said, "how did it get inside of me without me knowing?"

Edo-Kotone shrugged, "I don't know. And if any of the other bugs are in us, then they will be dormant until we enter the sector that they react to. Shall we start moving?"

Everyone nodded, feeling a little violated even though none of them knew whether or not there was a bug inside them.

"Well, uh, other Kotone?" Wendy asked.

"Yes?" she replied, starting to cartwheel away. Everyone was now used to her speed and kept up easily as they talked.

"I think while we are looking for the next bug, we should be thinking of a new name for you," Wendy asked from Gajeel's back. Poor Wendy's small legs couldn't keep up with out jogging so Gajeel picked her up and Wendy was currently riding piggy back.

"A new name?" Edo-Kotone asked, "Why would I have a need for a new name?"

Wendy watched as Edo-Kotone switched to doing back bends and flipping out of them. "Well I don't think we should just keep calling you 'other Kotone'. It just doesn't feel right."

Daniel nodded his agreement, "It's the least we can do for you helping us."

Edo-Kotone switched to fast walking as she scratched her head, "Well to be honest, I don't know if helping you is the right thing. I want to help you, but as we know, sometimes the thing you want isn't what you need."

Gajeel moved so he was walking next to her, "What do you mean by that? That helping us might not be the right thing?"

Edo-Kotone looked up at the huge porcupine, "I've deduced that the music box was meant to be another delay tactic for you guys. If I help you, then the delay tactic wouldn't be as effective as Kotone would want it to be. Since I'm sure that she knows I'm here, she knows that if you and I met, that I would help you. She might take extra measures or, knowing Kotone, she knew before she even made the music box that I would help you…GAH! She is so good with her deduction skills! It's hard to know what she wants me to do!"

"What?" Natsu asked.

"I think I just proved to myself that I need to help you guys…" Edo-Kotone face palmed as her walk slowed. "She knows I'm here. If she knows I'm here, then she knows that I would help you. If she knows that I would help you and if you combine that with the fact that the music box is a delay tactic, she would have made precautions already. So, if I don't help you, then you guys will never get out of here. Such a twisted plan…"

Edo-Kotone started mumbling incoherently but after a while she started cartwheeling again, much to their relief.

"What about Jenny?" Wendy asked.

Everyone looked at her with confusion written all over their faces.

"For her name. No, Jenny wouldn't be a good name for her," Wendy pondered. "How about…Paulina?"

"No," everyone chimed.

"Well then what do you guys suggest?" Wendy asked.

"How about Joy?" Natsu asked. "Since she's always so happy."

"That's a good name, but I don't see her as a Joy," Alice said.

Everyone nodded their agreement.

Names kept being shot out and rejected, much to Edo-Kotone's displeasure. She didn't want a name because then Kotone would have a name to remember her by. A name to bring up memories left forgotten. Even if in a century everyone who knew about her is dead and gone, what would happen if Kotone came across someone else with the exact same name as her? It would be bound to bring up bad memories that would bother Kotone. Besides, she's breaking a promise that she made to herself when she rejoined Kotone and she knows Kotone wouldn't be happy if she knew what Edo-Kotone was doing.

It was while Edo-Kotone was having this thought when the gears started shifting. Edo-Kotone was mindlessly cartwheeling but then she realized something and came to a complete stop, sitting with her legs crossed.

Alice wasn't looking where she was going as she thought up names and ended up stumbling over Edo-Kotone. She went face first and Daniel couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The girl who loves being in the limelight was now head deep in mud.

"Walk much Alice?" Daniel asked.

Alice lifted her head from the mud slowly and her eyes seemed to glow red as a ferocious smile played on her lips. "What was that? I thought I just heard Scrawny make a rhetorical question!" Daniel just kept laughing at the mud covered expression as Alice turned to face Edo-Kotone.

"But I'm going to deal with whoever caused me to trip before you Scrawny. Be grateful!" Alice growled.

Natsu walked over, just noticing that everyone had stopped. When he came he saw Alice's face and joined Daniel in his laughter.

Alice paid no mind to them as her eyes focused on Edo-Kotone, who smiled at her angry friend. "My, my…looks like Alice wanted to go on a trip without us," she commented.

"Mud has water in it you foul girl!" Alice grumbled as she stood up.

Edo-Kotone smiled sweetly as she said, "But dear girl, who are you talking to? We both know that if I'm just a girl then all of you can't be considered to have been born yet. Besides, it's a good thing your head just got dirty. No one wants a hurt head." Edo-Kotone's smile grew with every word, leaving Alice to gulp as she realized how much she didn't want to pick a fight with an angry version of Kotone.

"On a different note," Edo-Kotone continued, "we've reached the area where the bug activates. Now we just need to find it."

Gajeel let Wendy off, making Alice slowly shuffle to the back of the group again. "How can you tell we're here?" Gajeel asked.

"Have you noticed that since we came to this floor, the scenery hasn't changed once? Also, you see this?" Edo-Kotone said as she pointed to some prints in the dirt. "These are my hand prints. If I put my hand on it, it's the exact shape and size of my hand, meaning that we've already walked on this part of the path before. Another clue is that Alice has fallen into the only mud puddle on this path. I marked it before when I noticed the scenery wasn't changing. See, look, there's the fish I drew that's riding a dolphin. I believe that this level was designed as a loop hole, meaning that if one of us were to run into the forest on one side of the path, they'd end up walking onto the path from the other side."

Natsu stood up after his fit of laughter had passed, "Oh boy! Someone's gotta test it!" He ran into the forest without listening to Wendy's and Alice's protests.

Gajeel examined the drawing Edo-Kotone drew and gave her a quizzical look, "A fish riding a dolphin? Why'd you draw that?"

"Well if it was something common then that wouldn't have proven anything. Like if I drew a smiley face, a stick figure, a heart, or a flower none of these would have proven that we were in a loop hole. Another traveler could have drawn something so common so I drew something that wouldn't be the first thing people would draw," Edo-Kotone said as she stood on her hands.

Natsu's yelp of surprise caused everyone to look around for him and saw him deep in the woods on the other side of the path.

"So my hypothesis has been proven true," Edo-Kotone said.

"This is weird!" Natsu yelled. "I can see you when I face this way, but if I turn around I still see you!"

"What?" Daniel asked.

Edo-Kotone hopped onto her feet and turned away from Natsu and saw him on the other side of the path as well.

"What is this?" Gajeel asked as he kept turning around and around. Soon enough he ran into the forest and joined Natsu's gawking.

"Wait Gajeel!" Alice exclaimed. "Natsu, you too! We don't know what's out there! Come back!"

"No way! This is too cool!" they chorused.

"They should come back…"Wendy said, walking up next to Alice. Alice shuffled away and glared at the innocent blue haired girl.

"I'll go get them," Daniel said as he started maneuvering his way through the trees, glancing over his shoulder back at the girls who waited patiently.

"Daniel! Come back here Scrawny!" Alice yelled frantically.

Edo-Kotone sighed and watched him go. She glanced at Wendy and Alice, both begging her with puppy dog eyes to stay. Their hands clasped in front of them. Edo-Kotone scratched her head and her ears perked when she heard Natsu inviting them over.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'm not going over there and leaving you two alone. Both of you are obviously scared."

Alice tackled Edo-Kotone and gave her a big bear hug, only to recoil when Wendy did the same. Alice glared at Wendy, who was totally oblivious of her friend's behavior. Luckily for the all, Edo-Kotone was.

"Hey Daniel!" Edo-Kotone yelled. "Check the ground! If my hunch is correct then the passage to the next level is right where you guys are standing!"

Daniel and the others grinned as their hopes were lifted and they scouted out every inch.

Wendy and Alice looked at Edo-Kotone with confusion, much to Edo-Kotone's pleasure. She quickly grabbed both of them by the neck and threw them to the ground away from her as she dropped to the ground. Wendy and Alice started choking from the shock of being grasped so tightly and gagged as they watched Edo-Kotone move dirt. She started digging frantically until she found what she was looking for, a pen. She smiled and quickly uncapped it. It glowed slightly and she started writing in the air.

"What are you doing?" Wendy asked as she rubbed her neck.

"Stay down!" barked Edo-Kotone. "If you get up I won't hesitate to beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Wendy paled at the threat and shrank away. Alice did the same but tried to see what she was writing. She couldn't decipher the foreign language that looked almost like squiggles and lines with a few dots. Alice was so confused about why Edo-Kotone was frantically writing things in the air, until it clicked and she jumped up horrified.

"No, you can't do this to us!" she yelled as she charged at Edo-Kotone.

She dropped the pen and brought her foot around, connecting with Alice's stomach. Alice gasped for air as her lost her breath and fell to the ground. She held her stomach as she glared at Edo-Kotone.

"I said to stay down imbecile. I swear you bugs are going to end up as the bane of my existence," she said as she turned around to continue writing.

She dropped the pen again and placed her hands on the words she wrote. She slammed her hands to the ground, causing the letters to leave imprints on the ground. They glowed slightly then disappeared.

"What was all that for?" Wendy asked.

Alice growled as she got to her knees, "She's trapped us in here with her."

Wendy gasped and looked around, only to notice that they couldn't see Natsu or the others anymore.

Edo-Kotone stood up and grabbed Alice's neck again, pulling her into the air. Alice struggled to breathe and clawed at Edo-Kotone's hand that was slowly squeezing Alice's neck.

"I can't kill you yet. Unfortunate, but unavoidable," Edo-Kotone growled as she squeezed even harder.

Wendy stood up and said, "Stop it! Don't hurt Alice! Roar of the Sky Dragon!"

Edo-Kotone glanced at Wendy before throwing Alice directly into Wendy's attack. She nimbly jumped out of the way and fetched the now injured Alice, returning to squeezing the life out of her neck.

Wendy charged at Edo-Kotone, successfully tackling her, even though she didn't budge.

"Why are you doing this?" Wendy asked as she tried punching the silver haired girl.

Edo-Kotone looked over her shoulder, "What? What are you talking about? Why aren't you helping me?"

"Why would I help you hurt my friend?"

Edo-Kotone started laughing, much to the dragon slayers' confusion. "What, this thing? This isn't Alice! This is why I can't destroy it…because I need it to tell me where the real one is."

Wendy stopped punching Edo-Kotone and glanced at Alice, who was begging Wendy to help her escape with her eyes. Wendy cocked her head to the side and investigated further. Alice decided to make it obvious that she needed help by mouthing 'help me' as she squirmed in Edo-Kotone's hand.

Wendy gasped and jumped behind the silver haired girl, who was just a tad bit smaller than herself. "You're right!" she exclaimed. "It's not Alice! But if it's not Alice, then who is it?"

"What do you think it is? It's the bug we've been searching for. A nice tactic if the bug hid itself amongst strangers who had no idea what the name of the person next to them was. Unfortunately, Daniel knows Alice's behavior and has been eyeing her this entire time. Then I've also…no it was Kotone who has gotten a pretty good idea of what Alice is like from watching her and everyone else over the years. Alice would have demanded a rematch from Wendy as soon as she could. Not scream upon seeing her. Also Alice would have been one of the first people to run over to Natsu and check out the loop hole. This makes me believe that the door to the next floor is somewhere close to that area. Then, you've been keeping your distance from Wendy as if you were both the north side of a magnet and being forced away from each other. Wendy, I would like you to poke this bug," Edo-Kotone said.

Wendy gulped and took a step out from behind Edo-Kotone. "You sure I won't get hurt? Or even infected?"

"If my suspicions are correct, then you are already infected Wendy. You poking it will only benefit us."

Wendy's eyes widened and she nodded, becoming dead serious. She faced the struggling bug that was kicking Edo-Kotone, but to no avail. Wendy lifted her hand, her index finger stretched as her hand crept towards the imposter. Soon her hand was in arm's length of the bug, but it started shaking as the space between them steadily decreased. By the time Wendy's hand was two hand lengths away, her hand was violently shaking and the fake Alice was trying to get as far away from it as it could. The bug was even snarling at it as it glared at Edo-Kotone. The bug started to whine a high pitched, almost dog like, whine that had Edo-Kotone squeezing even harder. Wendy put her other hand on her arm, in an attempt to steady herself as sweat formed on her forehead.

"Wendy, are you okay?" Edo-Kotone asked.

"I'm trying, I promise! It's just that my hand won't go any farther," Wendy grumbled as she gave one last push.

She got a millimeter closer, but Edo-Kotone was suddenly air-born, being dragged by bug the bug, who was screaming as it flew through the air. The imposter's arms and legs were flailing as Edo-Kotone tried to keep her grip on the bug. How it was squirming and her lack of balance in the air was hard to handle as she tried to regain her stability. She gasped as she felt her fingers slip off the neck of the bug and her eyes caught the evil smile the bug flashed as she threw her leg at Edo-Kotone's face.

Edo-Kotone blocked, but the blow caused her to lose her balance again, allowing the bug time to catch its breath. The bug landed on its feet as Edo-Kotone scrambled to land without taking damage. She tucked her head as she rolled and planted her feet to create a drag. When she found that she was still sliding she dropped her hand to the ground and called out to Wendy with the other.

"Wendy! Cover your ears!" Edo-Kotone yelled.

Wendy's hand flew to her ears, but the bug heard as well. Its grin was twisted as its hands covered its ears. Edo-Kotone saw this and changed tactics quickly, her smile confused the bug as she finally came to a stop. The bug watched curiously as Edo-Kotone stood and ran in the opposite direction. Then almost immediately, the bug was on its stomach and its hands were on the ground. Edo-Kotone put its hands behind its back and held them there with a knee. She then used her free hand and pulled the imposter's head back by the hair.

"_Eradication_…achk blogh!" Edo-Kotone started coughing uncontrollably and rolled off the bug, which stayed there. Wendy ran over, still holding her ears, and crouched down next to Edo-Kotone who waved her away as she crawled a little ways off to the side. Her back was to Wendy as she continued to cough, causing Wendy's concern to grow exponentially.

Eventually the coughing stopped and Edo-Kotone ran her fingers through the dirt a few times before she turned around with a reassuring smile. Wendy hesitantly smiled back, but she knew it was weak. Edo-Kotone motioned that it was okay to take her hands away from her ears, which Wendy obediently abided. She ran over to Edo-Kotone and helped her stand up, asking if she was okay.

Edo-Kotone reassured her with a nod and walked over to the bug.

"Stand up," Edo-Kotone commanded.

The bug got up and stood at attention, glaring at Edo-Kotone.

Edo-Kotone motioned for it to walk over and the bug walked until it was millimeters away from Edo-Kotone. She smiled kindly at the bug who smiled back with just as heart-warming as Edo-Kotone's. Edo-Kotone's smile faltered as her head fell onto the bug's shoulder. Her legs gave out under her and the fake Alice caught her, embracing her in a gentle hug while still smiling.

Wendy ran over, offering to help, but Edo-Kotone's quiet, "it's okay" stopped her. The bug picked her up, princess style, and started walking.

"Where are you going? Where are you taking her?" Wendy asked and she hurried after it.

"To Alice," it replied. Edo-Kotone's coughing started up again, causing the bug to stop and place the girl's head in the crook of its neck. It continued to walk through the forest on the side of the path before Wendy could catch up and would occasionally squeeze the girl in its arms or run its fingers along her arms. Edo-Kotone's arms were around the bug's neck as she coughed her lungs out.

"Are we there yet?" Edo-Kotone whispered from the bug's neck, her long braid swinging as they walked.

"Almost," the bug replied.

"How far is almost?"

"A little longer."

"How much farther is a little longer?"

"Just keep breathing. We'll be there shortly."

Wendy started jogging/running to catch up. The bug moved so gracefully, for how fast it was walking. Once Wendy, finally caught up, she tripped and face planted at the sight she saw.

The bug's neck was covered with a red substance that Wendy recognized immediately. She scurried to stand up and chase after them again.

_What's happening? Is the fake Alice bleeding or is this other version of Kotone bleeding? Why are they walking so fast? If they slow down I might be able to help!_ Wendy thought as she ran after them.

Suddenly they came to a stop, letting Wendy catch her breath as she tried to for a sentence through her labored breathing. When she looked up, she saw the bug reaching for air. She observed as its hand seemed to make contact with something solid, then it retracted its hand. The space where its hand was seemed to fold on itself and twist, then it changed color. Wendy watched in awe as a door appeared out of thin air. A regular wooden door with no special design or anything, with a golden knob that turns, towered before them, waiting.

"Well go ahead," the bug said. "Open it."

"Me?" Wendy asked, eyeing the bug suspiciously.

It grinned at her saying, "Remember how you couldn't touch me earlier? We'll it's because you were also infected by me. I was told by Kotone to split and become a key and an eye glass. The part that is hidden in you will return to me when you open the door because only one part can find the door, while the other opens it. Kotone wanted to prevent you from progressing by making it hard for us to be together in the same place at the same time. This little girl here has released me from my orders, so I can help you." It glanced down at Edo-Kotone and kissed her forehead.

Wendy blinked and rubbed her eyes as this Alice in front of her morphed into another Kotone.

"This little one is the soul, I am the body, and the one on the floor before this was emotions. Together, we make up Kotone's humanity. The emotions joined with the soul when Kotone told her to eat it when you guys had progressed to this floor. Now I will join her as well so she can become stronger. The soul may want to go along with Kotone's plan, but I believe we need to stop it. Kotone doesn't have to live without her humanity. I'm going to make sure that she doesn't lose her humanity," the new Kotone said as she helped Edo-Kotone stand.

"Is she okay? What's happening to her?" Wendy asked, watching Edo-Kotone wobble.

This new Kotone glanced at her as she said, "She used Kotone's magic to free e. With us being the humanity, we shouldn't have access to that. But since she is the soul she could reach out to Kotone and drag out some magic. It appears that she can't handle the magic without damaging herself though. I doubt you can use your magic to help. If you open the door after I combine with her, she will undoubtedly be better. The act of me joining her again will heal her, but she won't be able to be able to do anything without both parts."

Natsu and the others stumbled upon the three of them, freezing in their tracks. Seeing two other Kotones was confusing enough, but not knowing what they were talking about was like listening to a foreign language for the guys.

The new Kotone smiled at Wendy before she turned to Edo-Kotone and rested her head on Edo-Kotone's forehead. She took a deep breath and dissolved into wind and sakura petals that flowed around Edo-Kotone, who inhaled and stood up straight from the big breath. She sighed and whipped the remaining blood from her mouth. Wendy watched with fascination as Edo-Kotone stretched with renewed vigor.

"Yep! Ever since I smashed the first bug, I knew why I felt so funny in this music box. When I smashed it, the pieces spelt out, 'This music box is my humanity.' So I knew that when I was dragged into here I was split up to create a delay tactic for you guys, it's also how I knew where to look for the bugs…Wendy, part of me wants to go along with Kotone but another part thinks that there is another way. I believe that you and the others have the ability to save Kotone from herself, but you better hurry," Edo-Kotone said, indicating to the door.

Wendy nodded and put her hand on the handle. "What will happen when I open this door?"

Edo-Kotone pondered for a moment before saying, "It will lead to the next floor, but since I'm the last key, you guys might just end up waking up from the dream."

Daniel and the others walked over, finally understanding the last bit of the conversation. Daniel crossed his arms as he asked, "But then what about your name?"

"What about my name?"

"That's right!" Natsu exclaimed. "We haven't thought of your name yet!"

"I think," Gajeel stated, "that it should be Kanon."

Wendy smiled, "That would be perfect, 'The sound of flowers.' You're silent and cannot be heard by others from where you live inside Kotone. Kotone is the sound of a harp while you are the sound of a flower."

Kanon smiled, "I think that's a great name. Both of us are sounds, but we dwell in different frequencies."

Suddenly there was a banging on the other side of the door, "Okay Kanon! Get Wendy to open the door so we can go save you and Kotone!"

"That would be Alice. It's time for you guys to go," Kanon said, placing Wendy's hand on the doorknob.

Wendy gripped the doorknob and turned it ever so slowly as Kanon removed her hand. There was a click and Wendy pulled the door open, just a crack. She peeked into the crack and suddenly jumped back as a brilliant, bright light bursted from the door.

They stood in awe as the door swung open, revealing a constantly moving sunset, almost like they were looking at it through water. Kanon stepped up behind Wendy to get a better look and her eyes started watering. Her hand reached out, but right when she was about to touch the water like substance, she stopped.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes were fixed on the sunset as she brought her hand back to her chest, where it grabbed at her shirt. "It's so beautiful, but I can't touch it."

Natsu peeked over the head at the sunset, "Why not?"

She gazed at the sunset for a moment before she ripped her eyes away and took a few steps back. She saw Gajeel hovering a little away from the group that had formed in front of the door and jumped into his arms. She buried her face in his stomach as he took a step back to steady himself.

"It's not meant for me. Hopefully it won't be for a long time," she said as she turned and hugged Daniel.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, watching as she turned to hug Natsu, who gave her a bear hug.

After Kanon was released, she gave Natsu a big grin before she turned to Wendy and pulled her into a hug as well.

"It seems that the third floor's purpose has been completed on this floor. Make sure to grab Alice before you completely walk out of the music box," she replied.

Kanon tried to pull away but Wendy held on tightly. "Was the point of the music box really to be another delay tactic?"

"Yes," Kanon replied. "Thank you."

Wendy finally let go, "For what?"

Kanon smiled her goofy, bright smile and said, "I thank all of you, for everything. I hope you will find this journey helpful when you wake up." With that, she waved them good bye and her laughter filled the air as faded away into the air.

They all gulped as they realized that might have been the last time they see Kanon. Natsu got over it quickly as he realized that he wouldn't have anything to worry about because they were going to save Kotone. He smiled and turned to face the dazzling sunset. "Yo! Let's hurry up and save Kotone!" He marched through the door, closely followed by the others.

Alice, who had been waiting for something or really anything to happen, jumped up when she saw a door appear out of thin air. She ran over to it and tried to open it, to no avail. She pressed her ear against it and heard Gajeel say that this other version of Kotone should be named Kanon. She pounded on the door and asked if anyone could hear her. It was then that the door started to open by its self. She swung it completely open and saw a beautiful sunset. Right before she took her first step towards the door, she heard a familiar laughter that had her spinning on her heel. She scanned the area but saw nothing but dirt where ever she looked. Then the laughter came back again and the first wind she felt since she was put in this area swirled around her.

"Seven is the magic number…" the laughing voice called before the wind pushed her threw the door.

Lyuf

**This is the longest chapter so far guys! As you can see, Kanon was our winning name! I'm so excited! What happens next is that ******** **** and ****** * *** with ********! Look forward to it!**

**Review time!**

**TheOrangeNeko** Yes! Wendy did beat Alice and boy is Alice pissed! I hope that when you read this chapter that you realized Alice was acting completely out of character. Next chapter she will be though!

**Edward The Pure** Yay! I finally got caught up with your story and all I can say is that you are just awesome. To get that any chapters done that fast and for them to be so great, I'm in awe. And your question about the shapes was indeed answered in this chapter. It was words that told Kanon what was going on and then they were apologizing for putting her through all of that. Your character will probably show up in the next chapter. I believe the next chapter will be as big as this one, if not then it will probably be bigger.

**keisha. latumahina** I'm soooo happy that you like how I portrayed your idea! Your praise just makes me get so pumped up to continue writing. Also I hope that your laptop doesn't have any more problems in the future. My laptop likes to die randomly so I know your pain.

**You guys are awesome and expect some epic stuff happening soon! Farewell my Royal Loyal Readers! Until next time!**


	19. Blue Moons Aren't Rare

**Last time, in "Conspiracy Against Oneself"…**

Edo-Kotone discovered that each level of the music box was really just a part of Kotone's humanity. First level was Kotone's human emotions that took the shape of a rainbow sphere inside Daniel, which Edo-Kotone secretly ate after being told to do so by a message left by Kotone. Second was her human body, which hid Alice in the third level while it changed its appearance so it could pretend to be Alice. Edo-Kotone figured out it was a fraud, but had to use Kotone's magic in order to stop it. This ended up being fatal to the human spirit, and the body, now under the control of the human spirit, joined together with the spirit. Wendy opened the door to reality, skipping the third level since Edo-Kotone, now named Kanon, was the last 'bug'. They picked up the hidden Alice along the way, who heard a voice saying that seven was the magic number. What will happen next?

* * *

><p>"GAWH!" Natsu gasped as he woke up and shot up to a sitting position. His hand went to his head as the sudden movement caused him to become dizzy. "Ugh," he moaned, "this is just as bad as being on a train…"<p>

He looked around and saw the last bit of the sun disappear behind the mountains in the distance. He jumped up and noticed the sleeping figures around him.

"Guys get up! We slept the entire day!" he yelled as he shook Daniel.

Daniel stirred and waved the hands away from him as he rolled over to continue sleeping. Natsu frowned and grabbed Daniel by the collar of his shirt. He threw him onto Gajeel who woke up to growl at Daniel. Daniel sat up and rubbed his eyes as he yawned his salutations. Gajeel pushed Daniel off as he got up and stretched.

"Hmm, so what happened again?" he asked.

Wendy sat up, rubbing her eyes as she replied, "Kanon helped us get out of the music box and she said she wanted us to go save Kotone." She stood up, finally awake, "It's already so late. We should head out immediately. Is everyone up?"

Natsu's hands flew to the sides of his head, "We forgot Alice!"

"I'm right here ya Hot-head!" Alice yelled as she squirmed out from under Daniel, who was still half asleep. "Ugh, it always takes forever for him to get up…"

Alice stood up and dragged Daniel with her as she marched over to Wendy. Wendy fidgeted as Alice got right in her face declaring, "We need a rematch!"

Gajeel came over and whacked her in the head, causing her to drop Daniel and hold her head. "We don't have time for you to regain your pride! We need to figure out where Kotone is!"

Daniel's muffled voice came from bellow as he refused to use energy to move.

"What was that Scrawny?" Alice demanded, pulling him into a standing position.

Daniel held up the music box and his sleepy eyes just stared at the item in his hands.

"What's that gonna do?" Natsu asked as he poked it.

Daniel stood there for a moment before he reacted. He lifted the music box to eye level and turned around. He kept spinning every way until he came to a slow stop. Everyone waited for him to say something, but he just stood there, not budging in the slightest.

Alice sighed, "This might take a while…he's always like this in the mornings."

Natsu walked over to stand in front of Daniel, whose eyes were glazed over. Everyone returned to waiting patiently, until Natsu's flaming fist made direct contact with Daniel's face.

Jaws dropped as Daniel flew back ten feet. He sat up and watched as Natsu rotated his shoulders, warming up. "We don't have time for you to gradually wake up," Natsu said.

"I didn't think he knew words with more than two syllables…" Alice murmured, causing Gajeel to crack a smile.

Natsu glared at Alice as she fixed her ponytail. Daniel slowly stood up and started stretching. "Thanks Natsu," he said calmly as he walked over to him, "I needed that."

Natsu grinned, but was soon holding his face and howling in pain. "Doesn't mean that I'm not upset."

Daniel brought the music box back up to eye level and started turning around in the same fashion that he was before. He stopped in the same direction as before and his smile was that of pure joy as he claimed, "Kanon is amazing."

Natsu was done with his howling as the others cocked their eyebrows at Daniel's statement.

"Well, yes…But what makes you say that out of the blue?" Alice asked.

Daniel glanced at his nakama and then back at the object in his hand. He started walking, eyes glued to the music box.

Alice sighed and followed. Wendy and Gajeel soon followed, only after Gajeel started dragging Natsu behind him. Apparently, Natsu thought that they should start heading in the opposite direction Daniel was. Unfortunately for him, Daniel seemed to have a reason to start heading…who knows which direction? North? North-East? Somewhere in that general direction. Natsu said his gut was telling him West, but then he started walking south, losing his credibility.

Once Wendy and Gajeel had caught up with Alice and Daniel, Daniel was giggling like a little girl.

"Is he okay?" Wendy asked.

Alice sighed and dramatically flipped her pony tail as she glanced over at the Fairy Tail trio. "Unfortunately yes. In a minute or two he'll be forming complete sentences again."

Daniel's fist collided with Alice's jaw, causing her to stagger back a few yards. She glared at him as she rubbed her mouth.

"What is it? Punch Alice in the face day? You know I need this face so my fans don't throw a mutiny," she said as she threw a kick at his head. He ducked and continued walking as if nothing happened.

"You're lucky I'm still a little groggy from sleeping. You'd be flat on your back if I was at full strength. So, as I was doing earlier…" he trailed off as he continued walking, eyes glued to the music box.

Everyone followed silently as their eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The moon gleamed over them and unlike the rest of the world, they were ready to go. Full of energy as they were, they found themselves acting a little like Kanon, hoping from place to place. That little bit of spring to their steps would later prove useful when their journey into Kotone's humanity would either help them shine or drag them into despair.

* * *

><p>It was easy to stay in her human shape in the dark, but she had never really tried to stay in her dragon form before. It was proving to be extremely difficult, especially since in the next room over, there would be periodic grunts and cursing. In the end, Kotone gave up trying to fall asleep since when she closed her eyes, she almost immediately changed back, which Acnologia would disapprove of tremendously. She raised her ginormous head as quietly as she could, but she knew that her neighbor heard. It wasn't an issue though; the real problem was letting her father know. He would come barging in immediately to see what she was doing. He was the kind of monster who wanted to control everything in his child's life.<p>

Kotone's head swung around to the entrance of her chambers. Her cave-like room had a huge opening that was big enough for her to walk through without having to squeeze like a snake being pushed through a hole. She carefully stood up and made snail like movements out of her cave. Once she was out, she continued down the rock hallway, coming to a stop in front of another rock opening. Inside, it had become deathly silent and she edged her way into the room.

It was extremely dark, so dark that a human would need a source of light in order to see their hand in front of their face. Being a dragon she had better night vision and she was also used to being blind. She made her way inside until she came to a sudden stop, noticing the magiced prisoner bars. Her nose hesitantly inched forward until it bumped the bars. She recoiled as pain shot through her, causing her to eye the faint lines of the bars.

"What do you want?" an icy voice said from the other side of the bars.

"Shh…hush dear child. He will hear you if you are too loud," Kotone replied.

"If you aren't the black dragon then who are you?" the icy voice said, only slightly quieter, but the edge in her voice was only more noticeable.

Kotone's frown went unnoticed in the darkness, but she decided to let it go. "Girl, please lower your voice. Both of us will get into trouble of Acnologia comes."

"Who. Are. You." the voice was finally a whisper, much to Kotone's satisfaction.

"I am a white dragon. My affinity is sound and I'm going to make sure you get out of here. One way or another I'm going to get you out. I promise," she murmured to the bars.

"You sound so confident, but you are a dragon. I don't trust dragons. Besides, if your magic is sound, then how come you didn't force me to be quiet?"

"I am forbidden the use of my magic until the day after tomorrow. Please trust me, what would you lose from trusting me? There are only three people here, us and Acnologia. Us versus Acnologia."

That seemed to peak her interests. "You're a dragon, so why are you against your own kind?"

Kotone paused before moving her head until it was parallel to the wall of bars. She inhaled as she pressed her face against the bars. She almost pulled away but instead she pushed even harder, causing the magic to react and slightly glow. It illuminated the room for a brief second before Kotone pulled away. The light was strong enough for the girl to get a good look at her, including the symbol of her guild on her neck. She moved her jaw, making sure she still had muscle control. Once she was sure, she said, "I wish to save my guild and their loved ones."

She was met with a moment of silence before there was a flash of light as she felt a small hand on her cheek. Its touch was soothing as it slid lightly over her scales. It was only for a moment, then the hand was pushed back and Kotone heard a grunt and a thud as a body hit the ground.

"Why did you do that? There's no need to hurt yourself," Kotone whispered.

Kotone could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "I felt like it, that's why I did it. I recognized that guild, Fairy Tail. I hear good things about that guild. Maybe a little wild, but good."

"Yes," Kotone murmured, "I wish that I could see my loved ones one more time."

"Why can't you see them anymore? Unlike me, you aren't behind bars."

"My cage isn't noticeable. Besides, if I leave now, then you won't be able to escape and you will die."

"What?"

"I told you that as long as I'm here you don't have to worry about it. So you just need to sit here and wait until it's safe for you to leave." Kotone's eyes fluttered and she felt her head touch the ground, not realizing her head had moved at all. The ground felt soft as she breathed evenly.

"Explain yourself!"

Kotone's eyes fluttered as a bright light hit her eyelids. She was so tired that she didn't even have the energy to block out the sudden light, so much brighter than before. She mentally cursed herself as she felt her body relax and the magic wash over her. The light on her eyes went out, her last lifeline to consciousness.

* * *

><p>"Scrawny, enough of this! Where are you taking us?" Alice yelled as her foot got caught in another thorny bush.<p>

Daniel giggled like a little school girl as he held up the music box. It was vibrating like crazy and with each step he took, it seemed to kick up a notch. He then held it in front of his face again as he continued walking, watching as he took each step. He carefully made sure that he was going in the right direction, where ever the music box was leading them.

"I wonder what it could mean…" Wendy pondered as she walked ahead of them, a little fast for her usual pace.

Gajeel huffed as he jumped over a small root. He continued walking as if nothing happened but scowled at Natsu who was doing cart wheels beside Wendy.

"Why have I never done this before?" he exclaimed. "This is so much fun!"

"Baka," Gajeel said, "you're going to get motion sickness soon."

"It's fine! Wendy fixed that for me!" he yelled back.

Daniel stopped suddenly and caused everyone to look back at him, confusion written all over their faces.

"Scrawny, why'd you stop? Don't tell me you started walking in the wrong direction," Alice said.

Daniel looked up from the music box and his face seemed to pale.

"Daniel your face is as white as the moon!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Guys," he said, "it stopped."

"What?" they chorused.

"The music box…it just stopped."

Alice ran over and smacked him on the head, "What did you do?"

"NOTHING! It just stopped!" Daniel retorted.

"Well let me see it!" Alice said as she ripped it out of Daniel's grasp.

She held it up to the moon light and examined it. She scowled and started shaking it. Almost immediately her face was met with a bunch of dust as her hands closed, full of dust. It slid between her fingers, into a pile of silver dust on the ground. Alice glanced up at Daniel, who was now paler than the moon, and watched as he fell to his knees. He gathered the dust but there was too much for him to hold all of it in his two hands. It spilled over and he could only watch in despair as the rest slipped through his fingers.

He glared up at Alice who was just as surprised as everyone else. Everyone had gathered around the dust and everything was silent. Just when they were about to snap under the silence, they heard a slight buzz.

They glanced down at the dust on the ground to see a vibrating mass. Slowly it started moving across the ground. It was like a snail, moving about a millimeter a minute, but soon it was a meter a second. They scrambled after the dust, almost tripping over their own feet.

They watched as it stopped at the base of a mountain. They caught their breath, but soon the dust jumped up and raced up the mountain.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Gajeel asked.

Wendy feel to her knees, thoroughly exhausted. "I don't know…But I really hope that Kanon wasn't leading us in circles."

"Kanon wouldn't do that! She cares too much about Kotone to let her do this to herself!" Natsu exclaimed.

Daniel leaned against the mountain side, "He's right. Kanon's only family is Kotone. I think she'd do just about anything for her."

Alice quietly thought to herself, remembering what the little voice told her back in the music box. Seven was the lucky number. What the heck did that mean? Seven what? Seven kicks? Seven punches? Seven steps? Seven o' clock? Seven WHAT?

She walked over to the mountain and placed her hand against the rocky wall. Her head rested on the cool surface, knowing that they were supposed to do something. Seven. It kept coming to mind and she had no idea why.

"What was that?" Daniel asked her. She had been mumbling while in deep thought, but Daniel's question brought her attention back to the group.

"Seven. I was told to remember seven. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean though," she said.

Glancing back at the dirt wall in front of her, she noticed her hand was casting a slight shadow. Her eyes darted up to the sky and saw the sun start to peak out from behind a few hills in the distance.

"We've been running all night. We wasted so much time!" Alice yelled. Her hand pulled back and she threw it at the wall, causing a few particles of dirt to fall to the ground. "So much time…not much left…"

* * *

><p><em>Warm…soft…smooth…<em>

Kotone jumped as she realized she wasn't on the ground anymore. Her eyes opened and scanned her surroundings. She was still in her human form but she wasn't in the cave with the girl, instead she was in a cave bigger than her own. Still a little groggy, it took her a while to realize she was in Acnologia's room and her back was leaning against his neck. She went stiff…he had found her in her human form. To make it worse, he had found her in her human form outside of her room.

_The girl! What happened to her? Is she alright? He didn't kill her right? I must make sure!_ Kotone thought.

She shifted her weight so she wasn't leaning against him, but that stirred him awake. She resisted the urge to gulp and look up at him with an obviously scared expression. She attempted to relax and breathe evenly as she closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. The neck behind her moved and she heard his huge head rise from the straw bed.

There was a moment of silence that had her heart beating frantically, but in the end, he noticed her. "You don't fool me child, get up."

Kotone sat up and immediately changed back. Her head ducked low as she looked up at his angry expression.

"Why were you out of your room," his voice didn't indicate a question, more of a command.

Kotone's tail fidgeted as she said, "I was trying to sleep, but I found it incredibly difficult to try to sleep without almost changing back into my human form. So I was awake and I heard a sound from the room next to mine…It might have been a sneeze, but it sounded really funny so I went to check it out." Not exactly lies, but they weren't exactly the truth either. It could have been a sneeze Kotone heard, but she knew it was the grunts of someone trying to break something.

Acnologia nodded his head, accepting this as an excuse. "Very well," he said, "go back to that room and make sure she understands to not be a nuisance."

"I understand," Kotone said as she hurried out of the room.

She ran down the hall and skidded to a stop outside the prison and hurried inside. "Hello?" she called. Then in a lower voice, "Are you alright? He didn't do anything to you?" She peeked inside the bars to see the girl watching her intently.

Kotone returned the favor and took in her details. Brown hair and ocean blue eyes. She was still full of youth, but old enough to be respected by children. Her clothes were dirty, but from what Kotone could tell, she had a black, sleeveless top and grey pants. At the bottom of her shirt, there was a design of flames that would attract the eye when not caked in dirt. Her pants seemed to have been scorched since there were burn marks on the ends.

Kotone's eyes returned to staring the girl down, who puckered her lips in response. She stood up and walked over to the bars, millimeters away from the magical barrier. Kotone brought her head down to be on eye level with her. The girl stared into her eyes for a few minutes before grinning with a satisfied look on her face.

"You can disguise yourself as a human can't you?" the girl asked, crossing her arms. "I didn't get a good look at you last night, because that monster of a dragon came and took you away before I could see."

Kotone had flinched and cursed herself for it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. One moment you are a gigantic mass of shiny white scales and the next you are a small heap of flesh and silver hair." She turned back around and got close again, "So how do you do it?"

Kotone was so surprised that she almost changed back. She caught herself and thought about what the girl said before answering, "I will never tell. I will never let another like me exist. If I ever find someone like me, I will pick them out of the hands of the greedy dragon and prejudging humans." With that she lifted her head so she was at full height as she looked down on the girl. "Don't be foolish and chase after something you know nothing about."

The girl's eyes flashed a fierce red before she looked away, realizing her mistake. "Sorry."

"What is your name child?"

"I go by the Firebrand."

"That is a meaningless title to me. What is your name?"

The girl huffed before saying, "Chandra Nala'ar."

"I will remember Chandra, such a pretty name, unlike the Firebrand."

"Well what's your name oh mighty dragon of sound?"

Kotone noticed the lack of respect in the girl's voice, but chose to ignore it. "Kotone."

Chandra's ears picked that up and she smiled, "That's a pretty name."

"The black dragon gave it to me." With that, she left.

* * *

><p>"Just…a little…higher!" Wendy yelled as she stood on top of their human pyramid. They had realized that the entrance into the mountain was above their heads, on the side of the mountain.<p>

"I feel so stupid. Why did I think the number seven would help us?" Alice murmured to herself.

Daniel, who was next to her, replied, "It's because you're an idiot who doesn't know any better."

Alice forgot about holding up Wendy and tackled Daniel, causing them to fall off Natsu's and Gajeel's backs. Wendy fell with them, but luckily landed on Natsu and Gajeel, who cushioned her fall.

Alice and Daniel were wrestling until Gajeel came over and held them by the back of their shirts. He held them as far apart as he could, but they were still swinging at each other. "Now look who's wasting time."

The fighting died immediately. They looked guiltily at the ground as Gajeel set them down.

"Why is it so hard to get up there?" Natsu exclaimed.

No one was able to disagree with him. By now the sun was up and everyone else is the world would be waking up if they hadn't already. Gajeel glared at the opening in the mountain side, a good distance above them. His growl hung in the air long after he was silent. Every one of them were looking up at the entrance when Daniel started giggling uncontrollably. His giggles attracted weird looks from the others as he fell to his knees, overcome with laughter.

"What is it now Scrawny? Tell me how you figured out how to get up there!" Alice demanded, pulling him back onto his feet.

Alice was now on the receiving end of the weird looks and she shot an icy glare back at them. "What? He always starts acting this way whenever he gets a brilliant idea!"

They thought back to the time when Daniel was giggling like an idiot while holding up the music box.

Gajeel crossed his arms, "That's something Daniel would probably do. Seeing his indecisive nature it's only…"

"NO WAY! How are we gonna get up there?" Natsu exclaimed.

"DON'T INTERUPT ME!" Gajeel shouted.

Daniel's giggles calmed down but were still present. He looked up at the opening and said, "Hehe…I have rope haha…but it's not long enough hehe…to use with a grappling hook hehe…but it's long enough that if someone was down here haha…helping others reach the rope hehe…then it would work perfectly haha!"

Daniel walked up to the wall, kicked it, pawed at it, dragged his foot across it, and then backed up about ten paces from the wall of dirt. He knelt down in the runner's position and took a deep breath, the giggles subsiding as he got serious. He took another deep breath and when he looked up, his eyes were focused. If anything, they were slightly cold, just like how they were when he was making sure Kotone's guests would be taken care of properly in the Shark Empress' home.

He budged and then became a slight blur as he zoomed by and a few pieces of dirt fell from the wall.

"WHERE DID HE GO?" Natsu exclaimed, eyes bulging out of his head.

"What do you mean? You didn't just see him run up the wall?" Alice asked in a mocking manor. "Yo Scrawny! That was a close one!"

Daniel's head popped out from the entrance and a sheepish smile played across his face, "There was a soft spot on the wall! I had to do a fancy turn in order to keep going!"

Sure enough, halfway up the wall there was a missing chunk, this was probably why there were bits of dirt falling earlier.

Daniel looked around for something to tie the rope to and found a huge rock that would do the job. He tied a knot and tugged on the rope to make sure that it wouldn't slip. Then to double check, he used the rope to climb down, only to end up dangling a little under twice his height. He let go and jumped to the ground. He smiled in satisfaction. Only Wendy and Alice were smaller than him so he couldn't help them up, but Gajeel and Natsu were taller so they could.

"Why did you come down?" Natsu exclaimed.

"I told you my rope wouldn't be long enough, so there is going to have to be someone helping everyone up. And as you just saw, I can get up there without help. So now we have a system that will end up with everyone at the entrance. Now Gajeel, since you're the tallest, go help Wendy get on the rope," Daniel directed.

Gajeel hoisted Wendy up and she clung to the rope as she scrambled to the top. "Oh my…" Wendy panted, "That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm surprised I made it…"

Alice huffed, "What are you talking about! It's so easy!" Gajeel hoisted Alice up and she grabbed the rope with confidence. Her hands went up about a foot then she stopped. Her face was red as she attempted to climb her way up, but it was obvious that she was having issues.

"What was that about it being easy?" Gajeel mocked.

Alice's hand let go of the rope so she could shake it at Gajeel, but she lost her balance and slipped from the rope. Natsu caught her as she screamed that it was Gajeel's fault she fell.

Natsu put her down and she charged at Gajeel, holding her away with one hand that he had on her head.

"Let go you coward!" she yelled.

Gajeel only chuckled at her outraged expression, causing Daniel to face palm. "Guys…" he groaned, "we've already lost a lot of time figuring out how to get everyone up there. We don't want to waste anymore right?" They nodded and Alice crossed her arms, thoroughly embarrassed.

Daniel walked over to Alice and crouched in front of her "Climb on," he commanded. Her face was like a tomato as she climbed onto his back. Gajeel lifted them up with ease and Daniel started climbing up the rope like a monkey, a slow one with a huge bunch of bananas.

"Idiot," Alice mumbled.

"Thanks, what a great name for the guy who is literally sweeping you off your feet and carrying you to your destination," Daniel grumbled.

"Scrawny I was talking about myself. What the heck was I thinking? Seven, it's a stupid number," she said into his back.

"Well," Daniel thought aloud, "you say that you heard this voice tell you that seven was a lucky number while you were in the music box right?"

She nodded.

"Well then that was probably Kanon. I trust Kanon as much as I trust the Shark Empress. If she told you to remember the number seven, then maybe she was thinking that seven will be helpful for something else. Don't doubt her before she's had a chance to prove herself."

Daniel's hands reached the opening of the cave and Wendy came over to help pull him up. Alice crawled over Daniel as he clung to the edge. Seeing that Alice was up there, Daniel started making his way down. Alice crawled over to the edge and looked down at Daniel, "Daniel!"

Daniel looked up, "What is it?"

She turned red like a tomato again and said, "I'm only saying thank you because you're in the organization! And only because I can't have one of my suitors do it for me right now!"

"Well golly! Thank you sooooo much for lowering yourself to the same level as everyone else in this world!" Daniel said sarcastically.

Daniel then stood as a stool for Natsu and Gajeel, who climbed up rather quickly after Natsu figured out how to untangle himself. Daniel had to repeat his wall climbing technique, but, since the soft spot on the wall was already weak from the first time he climbed up there, he barely made it. Natsu had to be held by his feet in order to catch Daniel's flailing hands.

Daniel grinned up at them before looking at the huge mound of dirt on the ground. The hole in the mountain looked like the mound of dirt on the ground would never be able to fill. Daniel was pulled up and then they walked inside the cave.

It was dark and no light could reach the depths of the cave. Natsu's fist lit up and he led the way down the corridor.

* * *

><p>"Is she going to be quite from now on?"<p>

"I handled it."

"Good. She is such a nuisance. It's good that you decided to participate or else she would be my only option. I will take much joy in killing her."

Kotone glanced at him before looking out the hole to the outside. It was a nice, warm day and the sun shined into the room they were in, a very large room that could fit a good twenty dragons.

A little cloud danced in the sky, perfect weather for draining someone's magical power. She sighed and looked at the side of the mountain. The mountain curved in a slight "U" shape so she could see part of the mountain side from the hole that she was standing at. What she saw made her scales stand up.

"Are you cold? Maybe you should go sun bath outside."

"I'll do just that." Her wings spread out as she was about to take flight, but Acnologia's next words stopped her in her tracks.

"Remember to come back. Who knows what will happen if my sacrifice disappears?"

She nodded, "Yes father." She took flight and went straight to the back entrance. They were gone, already a good ways inside. She wouldn't be able to find them.

"BAKA!" she yelled into the cave. She stomped around and tore at the walls of the cave. Her temper tantrum was noticed and she heard running feet. She waited, hoping they'd be able to find their way back and out. But it was not meant to be, for she heard them cursing as they realized that they ran in a circle. No doubt any noise she made would make it sound like she was in every direction.

She sighed, "You shouldn't have come. I'll make sure that by the time he finds you, he won't kill you."

She was met by silence, then an out brake of footsteps. More cursing followed until Daniel yelled, "You shouldn't have come-ome-ome-ome! No one wants you to end up alone-one-one-one-one!"

"Idiot, I'd rather be alone than live knowing that my selfishness is the reason why hundreds of people lost their lives!" she yelled back.

"How would we live knowing that we did nothing to help you-ou-ou? You are a member of Fairy Tail-ail-ail! And Fairy Tail always stands as a whole because we are stronger together than we are apart-art-art-art-art!" Natsu yelled back.

Kotone leaned against the wall and felt the cold wall cool down her hot face. Water droplets fell to the cave floor. Her wings drooped and grazed the floor, leaving light feathery patterns in the dirt.

_Dang it!_ she thought. _She's back and she led them here, which explains why I'm more emotional than normal. Why did she change her mind? _She pondered for a moment but she figured it out in moments. _They changed her mind. I hoped they would make her want to help me save them even more! Dang it!_

"Natsu…look after Makarov for me," she said tearfully as she turned around and took off.

The wind felt good against her hot face. It more effective than cold water for her as she shook the last tears away fiercely. She needed to calm down, to focus on the task at hand. She had a plan, but now there were so many factors she didn't account for that she needed to rethink everything. She flew in circles overhead the "mountain". It was originally a mountain, but Acnologia formed it to his liking and now it stood at half its original height. And it has steep sides now, so steep that the lair could be considered a cliff.

But she needed to focus, not look at scenery. She flew for a while longer until she realized that she was never going to be able to rethink her entire plan before it was time for the ritual. Natsu and the others being trapped by their inability to navigate the tunnels wouldn't change her plan in the slightest. They were basically taken care of. They wouldn't be able to interfere now, right?

She flew back inside, to Acnologia and realized she had spent hours flying.

"It's past noon. Look at what you miss out on when you try to blend in with the maggots. Soon you won't have to worry about missing out any more," he rumbled.

She nodded and apologized for taking so long, before she left to go to her room. On the way there, again she heard muffled sounds while passing her neighbor. She went inside to investigate and saw that Chandra was trying to break free again.

"I told you I would get you out of here. You don't need to risk your life trying to escape," Kotone whispered.

"You're here! I was hoping you'd come!" Chandra exclaimed.

"Not so loudly…"

"Oh! Right, sorry. Listen, I know there are other people in the tunnels," she whispered excitedly. "How do you plan on getting them out as well? Helping one escape is pretty risky, but I heard a couple of voices. I'd guess around four other people besides me need help."

"Five, that is if they didn't leave any one behind on the way here...How did you know there were others?"

"I heard them! This rock right here…" she motioned to a boulder, "can be moved and I can hear the tunnels."

"What made you want to move that behemoth of a rock?"

"It was an accident. I got tired of sitting so I stood up and walked around, but I guess I was more tired than I thought I was because I fell onto the bars which zapped me. I got angry and hit the rock out of frustration. When it moved I could hear you calling them 'baka'."

Kotone's head jerked back in surprise. "Did you hear anything else?"

"I would be lying if I said no."

They were quite for a moment. Both felt awkward in the huge cave. The light that flittered into Chandra's cage was slowly dimming, but neither seemed to notice. After the longest minute of her life, Chandra cleared her throat, causing Kotone to look at her.

"They really care about you…"

"They really care about Makarov."

"I don't think so. They care about you and your well-being. Do they know you're a dragon?"

"Yes."

"Do they know you disguise yourself as a human?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Another awkward silence fell upon them. Chandra had the urge to put her palm on the top of her other hand and wiggle her thumbs, saying 'awkward turtle.' But she stopped herself, seeing how inappropriate that would be in the situation.

"Um, so…" she mumbled.

Kotone watched her curiously, "Yes child? Anymore questions?"

"Why do you care about them?"

Chandra was uncertain about asking. She didn't want to cross any lines the dragon had drawn. But when she mustered up all the courage she had, she looked up at the silver dragon. All her doubts faded away as she saw the dragon's face soften and give her a heart-warming smile. She found herself smiling in response. It was contagious; it was like they were smiling because they shared a secret. But Chandra understood. The dragon before her didn't need to say anything.

"You love them don't you?" she asked, her grin grew.

Kotone's soft smile looked at little sad, but she said, "I've known some of them since before they were born. I've been watching them all this time. They are like my own children and I intend to protect them like a mother."

"Love is a funny thing isn't it?"

"It…it is a human emotion that cannot be replicated or faked."

"It's a little hard to explain."

"Extremely."

"I don't mean to change the subject so suddenly, but when are you getting me out of here? If not soon then I can figure out a way on my own. I don't like being dependent on a dragon."

"Soon child. You will be out by tomorrow." She turned to leave but was stopped by a sudden rise in the temperature and was temporarily blinded by a bright light.

"And I bet tomorrow you'll say you'll get me out by the next day! You dragons are so predictable! And what's with all this crud about me being a child? You're younger than me! I saw you're fake human form and you were definitely a child then! What do you use it for? To trick poor humans into giving you food and inviting you into their homes?"

Kotone turned to see Chandra banging her fists against the bars. Her hair was a bright red color and her eyes matched, not to mention she suddenly had a slight tan now. Kotone examined her for a second and then she started shaking. She turned her head away really fast so Chandra couldn't see her expression.

"Ha! Look at that! You really are a child! What? Scared I figured you out?"

Kotone's shaking increased. She couldn't take it, she broke down. "BWA HA HA HA!" She started bursting with laughter, confusing Chandra. She fell to the ground laughing and she was using her wings to try to fan her heated face. "HA HA HA! Look who is really the childish one! Getting all upset because I called you a child! Young- no I mean…Dear, I'm over 500 years old. That is considered to still be a child for dragons. It is true I have matured more than you ever will, but you still have a long way to go before you can be considered an adult by human standards!"

Chandra huffed, not before paling slightly after hearing how old the dragon was. "I'm 18 and considered to be a legal adult in Fiore!"

"You may be legally an adult, but maturely you aren't."

She left Chandra beet red like her hair and eyes with embarrassment.

Kotone looked out of the lair, the sun was setting. She only had an hour or two left of possessing a human soul. She sighed, realizing how the day went by so fast. But she smiled, slightly satisfied. She had experienced all the strongest human emotions in one day. First she had anger and sadness when she was talking with Natsu and the others. Then she had fear as she tried to rethink her plan. Next she felt surprise, happiness, love, proud, and she even laughed while talking with Chandra.

What more could she ask for? In one day, she had felt all these things, and for that, she was grateful. She watched as the sun disappeared and the moon rise. The second blue moon of the year…

_Blue moons aren't really that rare. A blue moon will appear every two or three years and two blue moons in one year happen about four times in a century. The old ones must have used this quite often. There would be enough time to find the perfect sacrifice in between each double blue moon. I wonder how Acnologia came across the ritual. It should have been buried with the old ones. It's also probably why they were always so powerful._ Kotone thought, watching the moon.

"Change back."

Kotone was brought out of her trance, "what was that?'

"You need to change into your human form so I can figure out when to stop the ritual. Once your human skin has disintegrated and all that is left is your dragon form, I will stop the ritual."

"Very well." She changed into her human form and the only barrier between herself and the cold wind was her extremely long hair. It dragged on the floor and she wrapped it around herself so it could act as a sort of dress. She sneezed and followed Acnologia down the hall.

He stopped in front of Chandra's prison and told Kotone to get her out. She walked inside, taking three times as long to cross the room on her small human legs. She reached the bars and she breathed on them, her breath fogging up the metal bars. They creaked for a moment and the huge gate of a door opened.

Chandra eyed her suspiciously as she crept toward the door. Her hair was back to its original brown color and her eyes, blue.

"Acnologia wants you to come with us to the ritual. Probably to remind me that if I run away, he can still use you," Kotone said.

Chandra exited the prison and saw her hands have a bluish light around them, along with her feet. "Aww…..Why?" she whined.

"He'd kill you if you try anything. I'm doing this to ensure that you won't do anything stupid before I get you out."

She walked out, without waiting for Chandra to follow. She'd have to follow even if she didn't want to. The magic handcuffs would drag her.

"She's been taken care of," she said to Acnologia.

He huffed his approval and continued walking at a slow pace so Kotone could keep up. It was obvious that it bothered him to walk so slowly. He picked her up and put her on his head before picking up his speed. She grabbed desperately onto his head, hoping she wouldn't fall off. He's been unusually kind to her lately.

_First he doesn't kill Natsu and the others when he realized they were listening to their conversation back in the forest by the Shark Empress. Then he lets me have my own room. Then when he finds out that I was sneaking out of my room, he brings me to his own room to keep me warm. Then he lets me fly around outside without escorting me. Then he's putting me on his head, of all places…He's trying to get me to stay after the ritual!_

Kotone was silent as he slowed down and came to a stop in front of the ritual site. It was a flat surface that had a pile of circular slabs of stone in the center. Each slab was slightly smaller than the one bellow it, so one could easily climb to the top. The ceiling was gone and the moon looked extra big in the black sky. The stars seemed to have disappeared, since there was no sign of them.

Chandra walked in and her handcuffs brought her to the far side of the room, where she waited patiently…almost. Her eyes were flashing and Kotone could hear her knuckles popping in protest, a sign of her anger.

"Please stand here," Acnologia said, lowering his head to the top of the pyramid of circles, where she noticed that the light was strongest.

She stood obediently and looked to the black dragon for further instructions.

"Wait for a moment. The ritual starts when the moon is directly overhead."

She nodded and shivered against the wind.

* * *

><p>"Well we obviously aren't going to find her like this! Just try to find an exit!" Alice barked.<p>

"Yes, yes…" the boys chorused.

They had been walking down the tunnel and then it branched off in three different ways. They chose to split up into three groups and keep exploring. Natsu and Alice took the left tunnel and Daniel and Wendy took the right tunnel. Gajeel chose dead center and marched off on his own. It wasn't until they were all a good ways in when they heard Kotone yell at them. They scrambled to find their way back, but they didn't notice how after every turn in the path, their tunnel had join with another one. So they had to guess which way to take on their way back, only getting them more confused and disoriented.

Alice had gotten lost with Natsu and ran smack into Gajeel. Now, if Wendy hadn't gotten separated from Daniel, they were in two groups now.

"How are we supposed to find anyone like this?" Alice whined.

"I want to know if Wendy's and Daniel's torches are still working, mine sure didn't," he growled at Natsu.

"It's not my fault you dropped it when you ran into Alice!" Natsu exclaimed.

They started arguing, completely forgetting that Alice was there. They continued walking like this for hours, Alice complaining and Natsu and Gajeel arguing.

Then they stopped, listening…..

…

…

…

…

…

"What was that?" Alice whispered.

Natsu motioned for them to be quite as he slowly put out his flaming hand.

…

…

…

…

…

Tsh…

…

Tsh-tsh…

…

…

…

Tsh-tsh-tsh-thsh-thud-thud-thud-thud-ACK!-owie…

…

…

Smack! Ouch…

…

"Is that Wendy?" Gajeel murmured.

…

AHHHH! Thud-thud-thud-thu-ud-thud-plop…

Natsu's finger showed some light as they leaned down to see the thing that had fallen behind them. Messy blue hair and blue eyes met theirs.

"I'm so happy I found you guys!" Wendy exclaimed as she ran over to them, her hands and knees bruised and scratched up.

"You okay Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"Daniel heard Kotone and ran off with the torch. I couldn't keep up with him and got lost."

"SCRAWNY!" Alice yelled, as if he could hear her. "HOW DARE YOU LEAVE A GIRL TO FEND FOR HERSELF!"

"Alice you said your feet hurt, do you want a ride?" Natsu asked.

"I can walk by myself I don't need help!"

Gajeel just started laughing and they continued on their way.

Wendy started healing herself, now that she knew where to heal. Natsu took the lead again, with his fist blazing into the darkness. Gajeel was right behind him, refusing to let the salamander to completely take the lead. Alice made up the back, complaining all the way.

"Hey guys, looks like there is another fork in the road," Natsu said, coming to a stop.

The number of tunnels was astounding. There were more tunnels than people. Alice counted the number of tunnels.

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10

"Ten tunnels guys. There are only four of us. It's no use splitting up though since Natsu is the only one with a source of light. We'd probably get lost again if we split up," Alice declared.

"I agree. So which tunnel are we taking?" Gajeel asked.

Wendy waited for someone to say something, so Natsu blurted out, "THIS ONE!" and started marching to the first tunnel. Alice crossed her arms and huffed her protests, something nagging at the back of her head.

Everyone followed Natsu into the tunnel and all was silent again, a little too quiet for Natsu and Gajeel. They started arguing again, annoying the heck out of Alice.

"SHUT UP!" She ran over and grabbed Natsu's shirt. "Follow me! We're going down the wrong tunnel." She spun on her heel and marched all the way back, making everyone follow Natsu's light.

They ended up back at the beginning of the tunnel and Alice kept walking. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7. She turned down into tunnel number 7 and kept walking.

"How are you so sure it's this tunnel?" Wendy asked.

"Kanon told me."

She kept marching until the tunnel opened up into a corridor. She kept walking though. First cave…second cave…third cave…She kept going until she walked into the seventh cave. She kept walking.

"Where are we going?" asked Natsu.

"Daniel was right. I just needed to wait and gave her a chance. The seventh tunnel into the seventh cave down the seventh hallway into the seventh room…the seventh torch!" She picked up the seventh torch on the way and a secret door opened. "Yes!" They walked into a room with a panel of controls, something you wouldn't expect to see in a dragon's lair. Above the controls was a huge screen that was showing a pure blue color. "Let's see, the seventh lever…" She pulled the seventh lever and the screen blinked on. There was Kotone, shivering while standing on a circular platform.

"There she is!" Wendy exclaimed, touching the screen.

A list of options appeared on the screen and the seventh option: Lower Altar.

Alice tapped it on the screen and the list disappeared. They watched Kotone shiver until something dawned on them.

"Why is she in her human form?" Gajeel asked.

"It must be for the ritual…" Wendy murmured.

"Wait, what's happening?" Alice asked.

Kotone had stumbled while on the platform. She fell to her knees and looked around wildly. The platform started moving down and Alice paled. "Kotone is standing on the altar…"

Wendy gasped and held onto Alice, who returned the favor. She looked for the flame head but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Natsu?"

Gajeel looked, "Don't tell me he ran off only to get lost again!"

"Found them!" a voice yelled.

Natsu came into the secret room holding a bunch of rolled up paper. He dropped them on the floor and searched for a second. His hand flew up and he was holding a single roll of paper. "A MAP!"

Everyone stood up and helped Natsu unroll the map. It showed what tunnels to take and short cuts. Not to mention, how to get to the "room of sacrifice." They bolted from that room like it was on fire. They ran as fast as they could, their throats were burning, but they didn't stop. But in the end, they froze.

"Puff-huff-what-huff-was-that?" Wendy asked, panting.

They heard screaming, no, more like roaring, echoing in the tunnels.

"Is that…is that Gramps?" Natsu asked.

* * *

><p>"What's happening?" Kotone asked as the pyramid started moving under her.<p>

"I don't know! This isn't part of the ritual!" Acnologia yelled, frustrated. "It's okay! I'll fix it!" He ran out of the room for a moment and everything calmed. He walked inside, victorious.

Kotone shakily came to her feet and looked at the destruction. Some of the stones were broken and others were tilted.

"Are you okay Daughter?" he asked, bringing his head back up to her.

She nodded and looked up, the moon was directly overhead. She felt her core start to feel numb and the moon filled her vision. She could hear a faint rumble of noise, but it was soon drowned out by her heart pulsing in her ears.

* * *

><p><strong>AN there! I'm so excited right now. I'm on vacation in Las Vegas, but while being stuck in the hotel room, I decided to write this! Longest chapter yet! I'm so happy that the time has come! Next chapter is gonna be action packed, filled with excitement! I can't wait! It makes me smile just thinking about it! But then I start crying, realizing it's almost over…maybe I can write a sequel….  
>ALSO! Longest chapter yet guys! I don't think the next chapter will be as long, but we shall see...<br>**

**REVIEWS!**

**keisha. latumahina** I'm so happy you liked it! I never really thought of doing pairs though. If you had any preferences then I could attempt writing a pairing, but no guarantees that it will live up to your standards.

**Edward The Pure** I'm so happy that you cleared up the misunderstanding about your character! I had a lot of fun using her in this chapter! I hope I portrayed her correctly. You're going to be seeing her in the next chapter definitely. I have big plans for her! *rubs hands in creepy manor and laughs evilly* No she's going to kick butt. Also 'Seven' has been answered. Seventh tunnel, seventh cave, seventh hallway, seventh room, seventh torch, seventh lever, and seventh option. Seven Sevens. Seven is such a symbolic number. It's used so often that people sometimes don't realize it at first. You have one of my friends at school to thank for the number seven. I said to yell out a random number and the first number yelled out was seven. Though the second number was eight and I was really tempted to use it…perfectly symmetrical in every way….But seriously, there are the seven deadly sins and if you get three sevens in a row in the slot machine…you know what happens. Seven is considered to be the number to represent wealth and evil. Probably a bunch of other stuff as well, but I can't really think of anything else at the moment. Kind of jet lagged…

**TheOrangeNeko** I'm glad you noticed! I tried to make it obvious for you because I wanted you to feel special knowing something before anyone else probably did! I hope you can't wait for the next chapter because I can't either!

**UNTIL NEXT TIME MY ROYAL LOYAL READERS!**

_Gajeel: Still not a freaking anime…_

**Miu: Still can make you look like a total chicken in the climax…**


	20. A Subtle Prophecy Amongst Chaos

Last time in "**Blue Moons Aren't Rare**":

After the dragon slayers, plus Daniel, woke up from the dream, Kanon used the music box to lead the group to Acnologia's lair. They then got lost and split into groups, somehow ending up with all the dragon slayers together and Daniel by himself. Alice's clue, the number 7, came handy as they navigated the tunnels. They ended up in a secret room and discovered maps of the lair. They then proceeded to run to where Kotone was, but were interrupted by a wild sound.

Kotone met a girl named Chandra, who was going to be used for the ritual if Kotone refused, and promises to get her out. Kotone also saw the group enter the lair and tried to stop them from entering the complex tunnels. She was too late, but Kanon had rejoined her body and Kotone felt her human half's emotion come into play. She was later summoned by Acnologia to take part in the ritual, making sure Chandra tagged along just in case anything happened. The last thing that was mentioned was that Kotone was enamored by the moon and that was all she was aware of.

…

"Where am I?"

…

"Hello?"

…

There was white everywhere. It was hard to breathe. Everything ached.

"Anyone?"

…

…

…

…

"Kotone?" a hesitant voice called.

"Hello? Who are you! Where are you?"

"Kotone are you here? Where are you Kotone? I'm scared…"

"I'm right here! Can you hear me?"

"Help me, I'm scared. My hands and feet hurt really bad…Kotone?"

"Can you hear me?"

"I don't want to die yet…Kotone? Where are you?"

"I don't know! Can you hear me? Say 'yes' if you can hear me!"

"Help me…My hands! MY HANDS!"

"ARE YOU OKAY? Where are you?"

"!"

…..

"Natsu! Wendy! Gajeel! Alice! Where have you guys been?" Erza yelled.

"Trying to stop Kotone! How did you find this place?" Gajeel yelled.

"Daniel and Anzu led us here! You remember Anzu right?" Lucy yelled her reply.

"The psychic type mage?" Natsu asked.

"She's something like that! Basically, when we noticed you were at the Shark Empress, we sent Happy to go retrieve the rest of our group. It's a good thing they were already on their way to the lake because they covered a lot of ground. Once they caught up, Anzu was able to follow Daniel and Alice since she has the strongest bonds with them. But once we got to the lair, Daniel and Alice split off in two directions. So Anzu started talking with Daniel telepathically. She said Daniel was lost so we started following Alice. Master got impatient with Anzu and yelled for her to go faster. But then we ended up almost running you guys over," Lucy yelled.

The thundering of feet was so loud. They could hardly hear each other, yelling right into their ears. Anzu was now leading the way, map in her hands. Unlike the dragon slayers, Fairy Tail and the Shark Empress brought plenty of torches. Anzu was very good at reading the map. She expertly led them down the correct tunnels, the masses of people behind her sounded like a herd of elephants playing trumpets.

It was no surprise that he was ready for them.

"GET BACK!" Anzu yelled as Acnologia growled at them.

"Insignificant pests! You are all beneath our level! Nuisance!" he called. "Deal with them! Be grateful you will be serving a cause greater than yourself!"

Chandra's hair flared as her eyes blazed, her hands shaking as her handcuffs pulled her forward. She glared at the black dragon as she was dragged across the room. Anzu held back the surging crowd behind her, scared of angering the black dragon any further.

"I didn't think he would be in the room of the ritual…" she said, eyeing the dragon.

"What did you think?" Daniel yelled at her, forcing his way past. He came to a sudden stop as he dodged a fist. "What are you doing?" He yelled at Chandra.

"I'm sorry!" Her hair calmed down and her eyes returned to their natural blue color. "It's the shackles!"

"Shut up vermin!" Acnologia yelled, turning to face the humans. "It seems I must soil my own hands this time. You can send a bee to stop another, but it can't take down the hive."

Daniel fended off Chandra, hands and feet blurring with the fast movements. Natsu finally pushed Anzu out of the way and immediately looked at the top of the pyramid. There stood Kotone, her pupils seemed to be the size of the top of a tack compared to the amount of white showing around her eyes. As much white as there was, it only highlighted the red that was starting to form. Her hands and feet were as big as her head and seemed to be extremely pale. Her mouth was open and there was a distinct yelp that came from it, causing everyone who had forced their way into the room after Natsu to look at her. Her mouth stretched open as far as if could go, but it seemed to not be enough since her jaw was shaking. Her teeth were slowly pushing their way out of her gums. They became extremely sharp and Kotone's squeaks of suppressed pain seemed to be amplified in the now silent room. Her panting and shivering was scratching at their ears as her eyes began to water.

Makarov was silent as he watched. Natsu was shocked and horrified. Wendy was heartbroken. Daniel was furious. Chiyoko had to look away as she hid her own tears. These were the reactions that everyone else expressed. Some covered their mouths. Some bit their lip. Some slowly prepared to fight.

"!"

Chandra was suddenly overwhelmed by Daniel's fast punches and kicks. He kicked her legs under her and she could do nothing but pray she wasn't trampled to death by the hundreds of feet that poured past her.

Makarov's brilliant yellow magic flared as he grew to his giant size. He charged Acnologia head on, but the black dragon was still bigger than him. Makarov was empowered by his desire to save his sister, which easily made up for his slight loss in stature.

Natsu charged at the pyramid, followed by the Shark Empress and his guild. His fists were aflame as he charged, only to be knocked back into the mob of people.

"It's too late maggots!" Acnologia said, throwing Makarov away like a rag. "It won't stop until the last of her human magic is drained!"

Everyone froze. Alice's face paled, "You BAKA! You IDIOT! You MONSTER!" She ran at him, water swirling around her hands. "Crystal Lotus: Tsunami of the Water Dragon!"

The water around her hands surged and she swung her hands together as if the water were weights. Her hands clasped each other and with obvious effort, she twisted her hands until one hand was on top of the other. This seemed to be the trigger for the water took off at 1000 miles an hour. Acnologia slipped and fell into the current of water, carrying him to the other side of the room. He collided with the wall with an audible 'thunk'. The water still buffeted him, making him a sitting duck. Makarov jumped and his fist connected with Acnologia's cheek as Alice's water died down.

Alice swayed and was caught by Anzu. "When's the last time you had water?"

Alice blinked, "A long time."

"You should know better. That takes up a lot of magic. Now you are practically useless."

Alice pushed her away and staggered a few feet toward Acnologia, "You BAKA! Kotone's human half doesn't have any magic!" She swayed again but caught herself. She only had enough energy to glare at the intimidating black dragon, but she put her all into it.

Acnologia seemed to look at the little girl in front of him in a new light. He stood up, surprise written all over his face, and turned to leave. He suddenly stopped and his tail swung at Alice. She fell to the ground to dodge and when she heard the crack of stone breaking, she looked up to see his tail a good ways into the stone wall. He removed his tail and Alice heard this terrible wailing sound. She couldn't be sure if it was herself or someone else, but she saw Daniel running past her.

Frozen as she was, Alice felt numb as she found herself on her feet, only barely acknowledging that fact. She saw the object she was staring at become bigger and move around in her field of vision. Little did she know she was moving towards Daniel and the object she was staring at.

She felt pain on her face…it took her the longest second of her life to realize Daniel had punched her. She found herself on the ground, a dull ringing in her ears. She slowly came back to her feet, looking at the crushed Daniel as he fell to his knees, his sister in his arms. Anzu's hair had the remains stones and dust in it. Her face had scratches all over it; a slash on her forehead was bleeding badly. Her clothes, torn and ripped beyond recognition, were also drenched in blood, undoubtedly from other wounds on her body.

"Daniel," Alice whispered, "I'm sorry."

He didn't respond.

"If I hadn't dodged…"

Alice fell to her knees, silent as she felt the icy arrow of guilt penetrate her heart.

Suddenly Alice and Daniel were crowded over the 21 year old woman. They strained to hear, in case their eyes deceived them.

A hoarse voice, barely audible said, "…It was my fault…I was trying to use my magic to get him to leave…" Anzu's purple eyes cracked open and stared at the two kids over her. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over as she said, "It…was aimed at me…I wasn't fast enough…Daniel…Alice…Shark Empress…Fairy Tail…only a dragon can slay another dragon…" With that, she sighed and coughed. She became still, eyes closed, hands in Daniel's.

Alice felt a tear run down her face and she quickly licked it off. She glanced at Daniel, worried for her friend. She slowly lifted her hand, it was shaking terribly. She swallowed her tear and placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

Alice was thrown back and landed on Grey, who was in the middle of fighting. Alice looked up and realized everyone had been fighting during Anzu's last moments. There were thousands of Chandras. At least one for every person fighting, some were even fighting two. All of them were only using martial arts and a sad expression was on all of their faces. The magic chains in her hands and feet were glowing, probably the cause for the multiple Chandras.

She looked back at Daniel and felt her heart stop. Daniel's hands were fisted and shaking, cracks could be heard throughout the room and ceased all the fighting. Everyone stopped and glanced at the glowing boy. The air around him shone a deep royal purple as stones in the floor rose out of the ground. He held out his hand and a white spark blinded the people. As eyes cleared, they saw a magnificent sword with a wicked curve flash in the moonlight and Daniel was wearing spiked shoulder pads and scary looking gloves. He had a deep purple chest plate on and black pants tucked into a knight's boots.

"Interesting…" Erza murmured, into the dead silence.

Daniel glared at the black dragon, who eyed him curiously. Daniel was fast, immediately he was in midair, eye to eye with Acnologia. He brought the sword down, but was much slower than he would have liked. The dragon simply brought a claw up and blocked the blade. Daniel bounced off, but was caught by Erza.

"Daniel correct?" She yelled over the now resumed fighting. "You have equip magic!"

Daniel quirked a brow at her and listened to her as she told him to follow her lead. They were an amazing duo, complimenting each other's style of fighting. This may have been Daniel's first time using magic, but he was an expert in fighting. They were able to put up a great fight for the dragon, but in the end, he got the upper hand.

Acnologia knocked all of them away like flies. Makarov was furious that he couldn't even occupy the dragon long enough for him to give Makarov a second look.

"You vex me mortals!" he yelled. He raised his head and opened his mouth. A black, menacing sphere formed.

"Daniel!" Erza yelled. "Try to equip into defense armor! Purely defense!"

Erza transformed into adamantine armor and Daniel closed his eyes concentrating. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself covered with a knight's armor but on his arms were two halves of a ginormous shield, on the front was a purple lion with purple roses entwined within the lion's mane. He put his shield-clad arms together to complete the shield and waited for further instructions.

"EVERYBODY!" Erza yelled. "Get behind us!"

The rush of people scrambling for cover was deafening but what came next would make the feet pale in comparison. There was a blinding light and all was silent. Everyone discovered they were suddenly on their backs and disoriented. Natsu sat up and saw Daniel and Erza scratched up, pieces of their armor still attached but the majority scattered around the room. Natsu crawled over to them and tried shaking them awake. He even tapped their faces, but he got no response.

Wendy scrambled over as well and hurriedly placed her fingers on their necks. She froze and her eyes widened. She jabbed her fingers into their necks, hard enough to probably leave a bruise. Finally, after a minute, she took her fingers away. They shook as she tried to wipe her tears, but was surprised when Alice came over and hugged her, wiping her tears away for her. Alice licked the tears off her fingers, but ended up having to stop and wipe away a few stray tears that left tracks on her own face.

There were sudden cries of shock and horror as the bodies of the people who didn't make it were found. Lucy shook, watching as Levy was carried out of the way by Jet and Droy, her own tears spilling uncontrollably. Her hand went to her eyes as if she was trying to force the tears to stop. The numbers kept piling up. Their numbers dwindling.

"Fools. I don't see why you fight since it is too late to do anything. The ritual has already begun and it won't stop until a soul has been drained," Acnologia growled.

Natsu's fist slammed into the ground and his eyes were filled with determination as he growled right back at the dragon, "I don't see why you had to use Kotone of all people!"

"Insolent vermin! You dare question me? I don't have to answer you at all," Acnologia said, effectively dismissing Natsu and he turned to watch Kotone's obvious pain.

Natsu grinded his teeth, extremely angered. He felt his hands ball into fists and heard the sound of knuckles popping. He roared, fire erupting all around him. He shot up and raced to the jagged pyramid. Again he was met by that invisible wall, but he was prepared for its repelling nature and muscled his way through it. He sprinted up the broken stone slabs, seeing Acnologia's tail start to swing at him out of the corner of his eye. He kept running. He ran as fast as he could, but he saw the tail. It was going to hit him. He sprinted even faster, if that was even humanly possible. He could see her small body, almost…there! He was so close Kotone's freezing body was radiating its cold aura all over his hand. The extreme cold was so intense that Natsu's fiery aura died out, leaving his body unprotected. His fingers were millimeters away from hers.

The tail, he glanced at it, it was millimeters away from his face.

…..

**A/N Not as long but everyone is finally there and the Empress Shark's war has started! Just in case you didn't understand what they meant when they said they have been waiting for the war. I actually had this done within three days of my last chapter but I didn't have a chance to re-read it due to essays and auditions for adv choir. Unfortunately for me, being the nice person I am, I had convinced 14 other people to try out for adv choir, lessening my chances of getting in. After the auditions, we found out the next day who got in. I did not. And then, to add salt to the wound, the teacher for the class said I would have gotten in, but there were other people who just harmonized better than I did. Those people were the kids I had convinced to audition….Yay for me…. **

**Due to practicing for the auditions, I lost a lot of opportunities and a lot of people who told me to not try out are mocking me for my stupidity. So, that's really the reason why I didn't have the spirit to proof-read this chapter for a while.**

**Enough about me! I'm glad my Royal Loyal Readers have stuck with me this far! I'm extremely happy that we have new members as well! A couple of my buddies found out that I had an account on here and immediately demanded for a link XD! Made my day slightly better. I estimate around 3 more chapters. Give or take a few.**

**Now for reviews!**

**Edward the Pure** Okay! I promise not to make Gajeel look bad…for now! No XD! I never planned on making Gajeel look bad. I actually have a lot of respect for him and admire his attitude towards his comrades. Also Thanks about the info of the number 7! I really couldn't think very well and still can't at the moment due to only 3 hours of sleep in the past 48 hours…

**TheOrangeNeko** It's fine! As you saw, I didn't really get this chapter up as fast as I could have…. Thanks for the confidence boost about the OCs. That really means a lot to me since I am using your OC.

**So my Royal Loyal Readers, until further notice…I leave you with this cliffhanger. Until next time!**


	21. Goodbye

Last time, in A Subtle Prophecy Amongst Chaos

Everyone has come together and that includes the Shark Empress and the rest of the guild. They had just entered the room of rituals when Acnologia attacked them and sent Chandra after them. Due to Chandra's magic cuffs, she has multiplied to an insane amount that was occupying everyone. Alice got fed up and directly attacked the black dragon. Anzu tried to distract the dragon but her tragic end was the result of her efforts. This seemed to be the final straw and Acnologia finally decided to pay attention to the fighting warriors. He dealt a devastating blow which was mostly blocked by Erza and Daniel, who had recently discovered his magic abilities. Hundreds of the rescue force was taken out, including Erza, Daniel, and Levy. Natsu, as courageous as ever, defied the probability of his odds and charged straight to Kotone. But did he make it?

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

_So cold…where did she go?_

…

…

…

_I hope she's okay…._

Kotone stumbled to her knees, tripping over her own feet. She had been wandering aimlessly in her white valley of endless fog and mist. She let herself fall to her side and curled up into the fetal position, shivering. The only warm spot on her body was one of her fingertips and even then it was only slight.

She hadn't heard anything from the voice for a while. How long though? Weeks? Years? Decades? It felt like an eternity had passed since she had heard anything. Her lower lip found its way between her teeth and she slightly bit it to draw her attention away from the cold. Her breath, despite the fog, made noticeable little puffs in the freezing air. The puffs of steam made her want to smash her head against a wall, but instead she turned her head into the white ground and closed her eyes.

_I am not a dragon. I will not be a dragon. I will be a humane dragon…_

She heard a gasp and it was immediately followed by her own. She bolted upright and looked around, but her white abyss was slowly greying. She bent her stiff knees as she took a few steps, as if she knew which direction the gasp came from. She closed her eyes and listened, but she ended up having to resort to her eyesight. No magic.

She gasped and her knees went out from under her. She put her hands out in front of her, to try to brace herself for impact. Her hands hit the ground but the cold had gotten to her. She fell hard but rolled so she would lessen the amount of damage she received.

"Kotone!"

Her eyes flashed around, trying to find the source of the voice. She saw nothing. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Nothing in this snowy place was real. It was only a place the ritual had conjured to keep her in a safe place…

"Where are you?"

She closed her eyes, accepting the fact that nothing she did would ease her mind.

"Kanon! ...Kotone! Anyone?"

_Kanon? Must be the name of the person I heard before…I'm tired…sleep…never waking up…I could die with my human half…then everyone will be able to accomplish things that will become legends for future generations…Makarov would like that for his kids…_

"Kanon? Ka-Kotone! Are you okay? We got to get out of here! Everyone is fighting Acnologia and we need to get you out of here and to a safe place!"

A scorching hand grabbed her shoulder and she hissed in protest. The hand shook her and she swatted it away but her heart wasn't in it. She was just waiting at this point. Waiting for everything to be over, she was done.

"Kotone what's wrong? Are you too cold to move? You're freezing! We need to figure out how to get out of this place. Any ideas?"

Her eyes opened, but they were glazed over, not focusing on anything. Her limbs were slack and her breath evened out till she could have been mistaken as asleep.

"Kotone!" Natsu hovered over her and looked her in the eyes. What he saw didn't make the knot in his stomach relax. He picked her up and carried her on his back as he walked around, looking for an exit. He never stopped talking to her. He told her about everything that had happened since she left the in the meadow. How they met Kanon in the music box. How she had helped them. How they had named her. How she showed them the way. How they ran all night till they had caught up with her. How Daniel had figured out how to get into the caves. How they got split up and were so happy when they heard her talk to them in the tunnels. How they found the room with the levers. How they found the way to the ritual room. How they met up with everyone else. How the battle was going so far…

During his entire monologue, his concern grew with every word he spoke. Her breath on the back of his neck had his skin crawling. Her breath was cold…

"You got to talk with me here…ask me questions! Say something! Don't leave me hanging!" he said with a smile on his face, trying to hide his extreme distress.

He was met with silence, which gradually turned his expression into one of grim determination. He walked a little faster and focused on the task at hand. Even though the chasm was silent, he almost missed her sentence…

"…I'm glad that I get to be with a friend in the end, even if you're a figment of my imagination…"

He froze in his steps, shock and horror written all over his face. She didn't believe him.

"Can you feel that?" she breathed. "A wind is coming…good bye my friend. Take care of Makarov for me…"

Natsu placed her on the ground and forced her to look at him. He held her face between his hands and his face was so close that the tip of his nose brushed hers.

"Kotone. I am real. Why would you think I wasn't? Everyone is out there fighting for you, dying for you! And you tell me that I'm not real, that I'm not really here to save you?"

Her eyes were half closed from the exhaustion of being so cold but she smiled warmly at him. She lifted her hand and weakly tipped his head down. She kissed his forehead and whispered to it,

"Silly, I'm already half dead. I'm hallucinating. I know this because look at my hands…"

He glanced at her hands and saw that her fingers were abnormally long and her nails were turning black and sharp.

"Acnologia failed. My plan worked. He won't get the power he wants. I made sure of that."

"ACK! Gawh!" Natsu yelped as his back felt like it was being torn apart. He blinked and saw Makarov holding part of the black dragon's tail, lessening the blow to Natsu.

_What just happened_? He thought to himself. _I'm now back in the fight_.

He crawled out of the hole in the wall he created when he was hit. Glaring, he growled at Acnologia.

Lucy watched as the rest of her comrades stood up, the ones that could, and counted. Natsu, Grey, Gajeel, Alice, Wendy, Makarov, the girl in cuffs, and 39 others, most of them from her guild, were still able to fight. Before the fight even started, there were so many that she couldn't count all of them in an hour.

She grew a spine and stood up, her hand on her keys. She was one of the people who had more than one Chandra fighting her though, she was beyond exhausted. She had called out three spirits already, but looking at the determined expressions of everyone else gave her strength. She whipped out a golden key and said,

"Leo the lion! I summon thee!"

A golden light appeared in front of her but it fizzled out as soon as it came. Lucy gawked at the empty space in front of her, but soon the empty space was filled with black spots. She fell to her knees and her hands shakily went to her head. They rubbed her eyes weakly and saw as everything in her vision wobbled. Her head met stone, or at least it would have. Gray had run over and caught her before she could injure herself further.

Gray grimaced at the sorry sight he was. His legs had black marks that resembled scorch marks and his hands were the same. He had barely gotten behind Erza and Daniel before Acnologia had fired what it was at them.

He tried to stand up again, and managed to twitch a finger. He had used everything he had to run across the room to catch Lucy before she received a concussion. He scowled at his unresponsive legs and tried willing them to move.

He scanned the room for Wendy and saw her standing off to his left. He opened his mouth to ask if she could help him, but the words froze on his lips when she saw the expression on her face. It horrified him for he had never seen such a scary face. It was a mix between panic and anger. Her mouth was slightly open but was set in a deep frown. Her eyes were as wide as they could be but her eyebrows knit together as she stared at a fixed point.

Gray felt his own eyes widen in surprise and looked for Alice, hoping she would be able to explain what was going on with Wendy. Alice was behind him and he almost gasped, she was wearing the same expression as she knelt on the ground. She didn't budge or give any indication that she noticed Gray's gawking. He quickly hunted for Natsu and Gajeel, but he wanted to scream and pull his hair out, if he had enough energy. They had the same expression and it was so unnerving that he felt sweat start to form on his forehead.

A drop slowly made its way down the side of his face. He desperately wanted to wipe it away, but he could only lean against the wall and watch, having pushed his limits farther than he ever had before. His vision started to un-focus and he had to force himself to blink and stay awake. There was no way he would pass out while everyone was still fighting.

But there was no fighting. Makarov and Acnologia had been staring each other down, neither making a move. It was only when Acnologia's head had whipped around to look at Kotone did Makarov sense that something was off.

Gajeel was the one to break the silence.

"What is that?" His whisper could hardly be called a whisper. He breathed his question, but the room was so quiet, that it echoed and bounced into everyone's ears.

Gray was confused, the only thing _he_ could tell was off, was the horrifying expressions they wore. Other than that, nothing was surprising in his opinion.

"It's Kanon…" Natsu breathed back.

Wendy started shivering and Alice's lip quivered. Then Wendy's shivering became violent shaking as Gajeel broke out in a cold sweat. Natsu's eyes widened as understanding graced him with its hateful presence.

He pushed himself up and sprinted back up the steps. He was stopped however, by Makarov's giant hand blocking the way.

"No boy. I may not know what's happening, but I know that no one should go near her at this time," he whispered.

Even taken the blind would know that something was happening. The atmosphere started to move. It was shifting and not in a good way. Kotone's skin was covered in white scales. Only her stomach, lower back, and head resembled skin. But the head was about to be taken over as well. Along her jaw, there was the faint outline of scales forming. Her hands were no longer hands. Her feet were no longer feet. Sharp talons had replaced her nails and her fingers were extended like her toes. On her feet there was the dragon trademark of having a toe on the back of the heel and her eyes had become golden with the elongated pupils.

Suddenly her chest bucked as if she was having a violent cough and she inhaled sharply. Her lower lip was caught in between her teeth as her fingers twitched. It only lasted for a moment before she froze, almost as if someone had hit pause. Her form pulsed as a faded shadow of herself expanded and dissolved into the cold night air.

Then, a sound that had all of their skins crawling, a blood curdling scream erupted from her, with her mouth tightly clamped on her lip. The scream was not from her.

Then, despite his own warning to Natsu, Makarov darted up the stones and grabbed her hand.

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"Awh!" she gasped. Her hand had become extremely warm. She held it to her face, but that only made her hand cold.

It had been at least a year since the apparition of Natsu had appeared and kept her company. She often wondered why it was Natsu of all people. If this abyss of nothingness really wanted to torture her, they would have sent her brother.

Unconsciously, her hand went to her neck, where she trusted that her guild tattoo still was. She smiled despite herself. She was happy she made him smile like that before she died.

It worked. It actually worked. After all those years of planning and waiting, they weren't spent in vain. She had accomplished her final goal: sabotage the ritual.

Her smile grew and she almost laughed. Her human self was under the impression that only it would be used and turned into magical power. But Kotone refused to let her be the only one to die. Her dragon soul would be great for magic power and definitely enough to give a healthy serving to every member of her guild.

This is when she barked a laugh. Stupid Acnologia. He didn't learn too much about this ritual. By dying, she would control who got the magic power and she was going to give it to Makarov, his guild, Chiyoko, and her organization. None for Acnologia, the sucker. Undoubtedly he would have found another sacrifice after her, but she made sure to take care of that too. If Makarov and his kids didn't take care of him, then she had a certain person who definitely would take up the job for her.

She sighed and her smile dimmed, the only drawback was that she would slowly turn into a dragon in this world. She wouldn't be able to walk and sleep as a human. She didn't really mind too much though, because no one was there to judge her. No one….

_I will be a humane dragon…I will be a humane dragon…I will not lose my humanity in this world…_

"BAKA!" A smack to her head had her eyes cracked open.

She glanced up but saw nothing.

"DOWN HERE YOU MORON! I'm not _that_ tall!"

Kotone rolled her head around and glanced at the little form of Makarov. A smile danced on her lips as she closed her eyes and attempted to move her arms. She hadn't budged from the spot Natsu had left her at. She didn't have the strength to lift her heavy dragon hands and feet in this world. She probably wouldn't be able to move until her dragon arms and legs came.

She sighed and gave up any attempt to move. She opened her eyes and smiled at him lazily.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up."

His frown deepened and his face became a crimson red.

"You may be ancient but that gives you no right to act so casually in the middle of war!"

Her eyes squinted as she thought back to when Natsu was talking to her.

"Hmm," she said, "Natsu said something similar before. Something about you guys coming to rescue me. My hallucinations are nice. They tell me nice stories about how people cared. Too bad none of it is real. How can a dead person be rescued?"

She was met with another smack across her face. She slowly looked back at her polture geuste. Mean little bugger it was…

"Kotone! You are not dead! We ARE fighting for you! And I AM going to save you! You have hundreds, maybe thousands of more years to go! No way am I going to let such an influence on my guild disappear forever! I have maybe one or two more decades at most! You promised to become my successor and I'm going to hold you to that promise! Now get a hold of yourself and understand what I am saying!" he yelled in her face.

During some time in his ranting, he had grabbed her shoulders and was now shaking her. She felt the warmth from her hand spread up her arm and the fog started to lift.

"If I'm not dead, then how come I've spent years and years in here?"

Makarov looked at her with confusion. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when her head fell on his shoulder and rested there.

"You're warm…I missed you."

They were silent for a moment, just enjoying each other's company.

"You know, I was crushed when I realized you had run away…" Makarov said, breaking the silence.

Kotone sniffed and whispered,

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come back, but I was selfish. I really wanted to see you one last time before I died."

He hugged her and felt her warm up as he felt a chill crawl up his back.

"I'm glad you did. We got to share yet another happy memory."

Kotone's arms had miraculously found enough strength that she hugged him back and gripped his cape that he always wore when he went to battle.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to stay with you when I left you with Mavis."

"I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough to go track you down."

"You're the only family I ever had. I wish I was able to tell you how much you meant to me when I came back."

"You're telling me now aren't you?"

"Yes. *sniff* I wish I had more time, but the room…it's becoming black…"

"Kotone?"

"*sniff* Yeah?"

"Would you still become the guild master if you could?"

She hiccupped a laugh and wiped the tears from her eyes as she nodded.

"It means so much to you, of course I would do everything I could for the guild!"

Makarov smiled and patted her on the back.

"Kotone?"

"Yes?"

"I regret nothing."

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"Ssssss!" Kotone hissed. Her back was on fire, not to mention the back of her arms and a part of her stomach. Her clamped eyes cracked up and she saw an arm wrapped around her. She lifted her head and saw Gajeel looking down at her with confusion in his eyes.

He looked back up, at something in front of them, and Kotone saw him visibly pale under the moonlight.

Moonlight? Where's the fog?

"What's going on? Where am I? Am I finally dead?" she asked, hysteria creeping into her voice.

She looked around and saw the bodies of hundreds of people lined up against the walls. The ones that were still alive were badly beaten up and hardly standing, if at all. Chunks of rock were strewn across the room, red stains were splattered everywhere.

She examined the room with horror, she found herself on the verge of vomiting when she noticed Acnologia standing next to the altar. It was obvious he was outraged. He was looking up at the altar, shaking with suppressed anger.

Following his gaze, she looked up.

Few people in the room heard it, the sound of shattering. Something had forced an invisible icy hand down her throat and was tearing her from the inside out. She was numb, focused on the image in front of her.

"Stop."

Gajeel's commanding voice brought her attention to the fact that she was weakly trying to claw her way out of Gajeel's grasp. She looked down at his arms and saw how torn up they had become, due to her recent claws. There was a quiet plop as she found her tears falling onto his bleeding arms.

She looked back up and saw the shimmering form of Makarov under the moonlight.

"No!" she said through her quite sobbing. "NO! LET ME GO!"

She pounded his arms and kicked his stomach with her returning strength. He struggled to hold onto her, with her pushing against his face and hitting his new wounds. His hand slipped and she squeezed her way out of his arms.

She tried to run up the steps, but wobbled every now and then. She made her way up, frantically. Gajeel had given up trying to stop her. For they all knew it was too late.

Tears leaving tracks on her face, Kotone scrambled for the top. The second she reached it, her hand flew out to grab Makarov, but her hand passed through his shimmering body. She fell to her knees and looked up at the smiling golden image of her brother.

Her hand lifted one last time, her feral claws a wicked reminder of what happens during the ritual. The tip of her claw touched the image, but immediately retracted when a burst of golden dust flew out in every direction.

It floated on a nonexistent wind that carried it over the entire room. A thin layer of weightless dust settled on everyone. Gray and Natsu started sneezing immediately, but more dust landed on them, replacing the layer they had lost.

The golden dust glowed a brilliant light that could be considered white, before dying down to its original golden state.

Kotone watched the dust fall into her open hands and brought the dust rich hands to her chest as her sobs shook her body. She glanced up and saw her father glaring her down from a corner of the room, a spotless corner of the room.

She watched as the dust above him fell to the ground, flowing over him without ever touching him. It was as if they were the north end of the magnets, repelling each other.

Kotone felt her hands warm up and brought them to her face. The dust glowed softly and she looked around to see what was happening to the dust falling around the room. She felt her mouth open in wonder as the dust stopped mid-air, glowing a gentle yellow.

She slowly stood up, her endless tears temporarily on hold. She stood there, lost in the beauty of powerful magic. A small smile came to her face and she looked down at the others, seeing their reaction mimic hers. Her smile grew and she knew that the worst was over.

She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath, calming herself. She exhaled but stopped halfway through. Her smile fell and she grasped her throat. She coughed but couldn't breathe. Her claws scratched at her throat as her eyes watered.

Seeing this, Wendy tried to run up the stairs to help her. She had to pull herself up each step, making her extremely tired, but she pushed on. Once she had reached the top, she saw a golden sphere of sparkling flakes spinning rapidly around Kotone. Every once in a while, a gap in the sphere would show Kotone kneeling on the floor, her hands on her throat as her hair whipped around her head in wild circles.

"Kotone!" Wendy yelled. She watched as the rest of the dust scattered in the room crawled past her and joined the sphere. Wendy's reply was another round of coughing that could be heard over the rustling of the golden flakes.

"I'm going to come in now! Just hold on!" Wendy yelled. She shuffled toward the sphere, the wind pushed her hair back and her cloths fluttered. The closer she got the stronger the wind. When she got close enough to touch the sphere, she hesitated, knowing it would hurt to touch the gold dust. She swallowed her fear and pushed against the wind. She reached out, trying to reach Kotone. The she was just about to touch the sphere when she was blown off the altar completely. She yelled out as she flew, but was caught by Alice and they slid across the room. Alice hissed as her skin slid across the rough surface, but was thankful she caught Wendy when the girl rushed to heal her.

Gray watched Alice being healed and frowned at his sorry state. The golden dust had numbed him and he could actually flex his hand. Maybe in a little while he could move his arms. But the dust that had settled on him was gone, flowing toward Kotone. He glanced up to see that the gold sphere had thickened and was practically a solid wall by this point.

"Wendy," he said.

"Gray!" Wendy exclaimed, "I didn't see you before! Are you okay?"

"I will be, but what is that?"

Wendy looked up and gasped, bringing attention to herself. Natsu, Gajeel, and Alice all looked her way. She pointed at the altar and their surprise was voiced.

"What is that?" Natsu yelled.

The golden sphere was just noticed by the three, but what surprised Wendy was that it was turning white, no silver. Before it was solid gold but the gold was being overwhelmed by the silver. In fact it was no a ball of swirling silver with a gold flake here and there.

"I don't know Natsu. I don't know…" Wendy murmured.

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_I can't breathe…_

Her throat and back hurt, aching even more with every second that passed. Her vision was pitch black and the air was still.

She hissed, knees burning like a thousand suns. She wanted to scream, but had no air for screaming. Her ears rang as she felt the cold floor on her side.

_**Kotone?**_

_Who is it?_ She thought, as if answering a door.

_**Kotone, I'm tired.**_

_Same here. _

_**Kotone, I think I'm dying.**_

_Same here._

_**Kotone, I'm serious.**_

_Same here._

_**Kotone, I'm scared!**_

_Same here._

_**Kotone! Can all you say is 'Same here'?**_

_Do you have to start ever sentence with my name and follow it with a complaint?_

**Kotone**, a different voice spoke.

_Makarov!_

**Kotone, I need you to listen to me.**

_Of course, but why did-_

**There's no time for that. Kotone I don't have a lot of power left after healing everyone.**

_Everyone?_

**Everyone. I tried to help you and Kanon-**

_Kanon?_

_**That would be me! Nastu told you he named me, remember?**_ the other voice interjected.

_Oh, that's right…_

**Kotone, you were in there for too long and Kanon was already starting to be turned to magic energy when I pulled you out. She's not going to make it.**

_**So I'm going to join Makarov and make sure this never happens again. Since he's already healed everyone and did what we were planning to do, I can focus on you and only you.**_

_I was going to die with you Kanon._

_**Yes I know. Two people were going to die tonight no matter what happened. You couldn't prevent either of us dying even if you wanted to.**_

_Yes I could have. Makarov didn't have to die._

**Baka! I would have died in a couple of years anyways!**

_**Kotone, I'm not going to lie to you now. Because Makarov has given everyone all the magic they can handle, if I give the part of my life force they have a possibility of dying.**_

They were silent for a moment, waiting for her answer.

_I see_, she thought, _you guys still need a host…the only other options are me and Acnologia_.

_**Yes…**_

_If I accept both of you, I'm going to lose my human body_.

**Yes…**

_This is so messed up. All of this. Nothing is working out liked I planned for the past couple of centuries! Dang it!_

_**Kotone, you might be able to keep parts of your human body…**_

_It's fine. There's no longer a need to comfort me. The world is just out to get me._

_**We're really sorry…**_

_It's fine. Is the reason I can't breathe…is it because you guys have already started to fuse with me?_

**Yes.**

_Very well. I will be a humane dragon._

**Kotone, Natsu says Igneel was a very nice dragon. Maybe it's just Acnologia who is a terrible dragon.**

I pray this is the case.

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Their eyes were glued to the sphere, including Acnologia's. His eyes were filled with hatred, knowing that his plan was falling apart. He knew something was wrong. His daughter was too obedient. She was a firecracker as a kid, but she grew up away from him, so he assumed that her change in nature was due to his lack of supervision.

How wrong he was.

Gajeel and Natsu stood with Alice and Wendy, all standing around Gray and Lucy, who had woken up.

"So what is that again?" she asked, still too tired to stand up.

"We don't know, but Kotone is in the middle of it," Gajeel replied.

They watched the sphere swirl faster and fast, shrink and shrink. But when it became small enough to see Kotone, they were happy yet confused.

She had gotten to her feet and was breathing in, no, eating the sliver-gold sphere. Her chest slowly grew as the sphere slowly shrunk. As she ate, two golden locks sprouted from her temples. The two lock were a sharp contrast to her silver hair, they grew till they were as long as the silver and then grew a little more. The scales on her body moved and shifted. They moved over her mouth, just below her nose. They shifted and became even more noticeable, each dimly shinning in the moonlight. Her small body looked as if she was a little girl with a snake's skin, as white as a black page that was waiting to be written, save her guild mark on her neck. It was a black beauty mark on her silver skin.

The sphere was shrinking every second. Soon it was a sliver of silver and disappeared in her mouth. She slumped and took in a deep breath, gasping for air.

She turned and glared at Acnologia, who returned the favor. Her voice boomed.

"Is everyone alright?" She said this looking at her father, but it was addressed to the remaining dragon slayers.

"I think we've been better," Alice replied, witty as ever.

Kotone's frown melted away and one of the corners of her mouth rose slightly in response.

"Dad," she began, "I think you have some things you want to discuss with me."

His low growl echoed as it gradually became louder. Kotone didn't bother to hide her smirk as his growl turned into a full out roar. Stones and pebbles rattled on the floor as he roared, shaking the ground. Mid-roar, the room became deadly silent again. Acnologia's mouth was still open and the stones still rattled.

Kotone started shaking. Wendy took a step forward, worried, but stopped. Kotone's mouth was formed in a smile as she laughed, silently.

Wendy's head whipped to the side and she turned to see everyone else looking at each other as well.

"…!...!...!" Wendy exclaimed. Her hand flew to her mouth as no sound came out. She glanced at the others, who were either trying to scream or were holding their mouths as well. Wendy felt chills run down her back as she realized what was happening. It was like she had put a mute on life.

They turned their attention back to Kotone in time to see her dart straight into Acnologia's chest. They flew into the wall, creating a hole in the wall. Acnologia quickly recovered and swung at her with his huge claws, but she was too fast. She was on his other hand, shredding it with her own as he swung. Once he saw what she was doing he tried to bite her, but she was already behind him.

Unfortunately, Kotone could only be ahead of the ancient creature for so long until he started predicting her movements. His tail came and smacked her across the room. She brought her hands down to the floor as she flew, trying to slow down, but she only rolled and crashed into the wall, making another hole.

She staggered out of it, glaring. The next thing the dragon slayers saw was Kotone clawing at Acnologia's eyes. She flipped off of his head, landing smoothly on the altar.

Then for a moment, everything was frozen. Then both blurred and merged together, becoming one blob of blurs. There would be flashes of dark magic and sudden ear piercing noises. Then Kotone ended up on the ground and Acnologia was on the stones of the altar.

Kotone drew her long hair over her shoulder and it dragged on the floor in front of her. A smile played on her lips as she stepped on her hair and slid her foot away, causing the hair to become tight strands. She placed a hand on the tight strands and weaved her clawed hands along the strings, careful not to cut it.

Gajeel immediately understood what she was doing, being the excellent musician that he was. He glanced at Acnologia, who seemed to be waiting for Kotone to make her move.

Gajeel smirked, seeing that Acnologia didn't understand how she had already made her move. He used his magic to turn his hand into an iron pillar and his other hand became covered with an iron case, making his fingers wicked sharp. He dragged his claws down his pillar, pleased with his creativity.

Kotone's fingers fumbled, it went unnoticed by Acnologia, but Gajeel was looking for a sign and he got it. He nudged Alice and showed her what he was doing. She smiled and nudged Wendy, showing her what Gajeel was doing. She smiled and nudged Natsu, showing him what Gajeel was doing. Natsu scratched his head and shrugged. Wendy continued doing charades with Natsu in the muted room as Alice got her own idea.

She placed her hands on the floor and took a deep, silent breath. She focused and felt her mouth become extremely dry. Her tongue felt like sand paper in her mouth and she blink several times, trying to regain moisture to her eyes.

_This uses so much water. I'm going to be seriously dehydrated after this…_

She watched as water flooded from her hands and slowly started to spread. It reached to corners of the room and she watched as the water level rose. Soon the water level barely touched the top of her hands and she stood up, but immediately collapsed. She sat on her rear as stars danced in her eyes.

Gajeel looked down at her, questioning.

She smiled back, conveying that she was alright.

Gajeel gave her an approving look as he glanced at the struggling hothead. Wendy was still trying to explain what they were doing, but Natsu was getting frustrated and his mouth opened in that familiar way of his, yelling. Wendy smiled and gave him a thumbs up before filling her lungs with air. She brought her hand to her mouth and blew.

_Create sound Natsu. That's all we can do for now_, Wendy thought.

Kotone's hands were nimble and her smile was deadly. Suddenly she pulled her hands away and lifted her foot from her hair. She flipped hair over her shoulder, a great length of it wet and dragging in the water. Her lips pulled back into a smile, showing her dragon teeth, sharp and wicked. She smiled at her father, glaring her down.

His growl suddenly took over the entire room, along with screaming metal, ear splitting whistling, and yelling, all being carried over water. The room was no longer muted.

The dragon slayers stopped, watching. The growl finally quieting down, but the black dragon realized the absence of noise too late. He suddenly came alert and was watching carefully, backing up unnoticeably.

Kotone's smile made sense to him now. He opened his wings, ready to launch if push came to shove.

Wendy saw and directed the air to blow with Kotone, aiding her in whatever she was preparing to do.

Kotone seemed giddy; she lifted her hands from her sides, holding them out. Her teeth opened and the air left her body. She inhaled and her smile grew. The first word was a whisper but her second word could be described by the actual word.

"…sonic BOOM!"

Her arms clashed together as her hands smacked in a clap. The floor around her feet exploded like there was dynamite planted under the surface. The explosions ran straight to Acnologia, the floor below him blew up and he was launched onto the wall. Wendy's air came into effect, amplifying Kotone's attack. Acnologia was held against the wall, being pummeled by the waves upon waves of sound, blasting him. The waves just kept coming and were sped up by the air.

Kotone released her hands and the buffeting stopped. He fell to the ground and Kotone was standing on him before he could catch his breath. She stomped on his neck, right at the spot where the head connected with the neck, effectively controlling his air supply.

"What's the matter Dad? You seem extraordinarily weak, even for you. But that's because of the ritual, right? I know Daddy. I know your secret," she said, adding pressure to his neck. He squirmed and tried to shift his head to get more air, but she just added pressure. He weakly tried to growl but it sounded more like a whine.

"I know Dad. I know why the ritual had to be today. It's why the old ones are called the old ones. They turned bad. They became warped. Once a dragon becomes warped, they are no longer immortal. So they used their twisted ways to create this horrid ritual that you set up. A ritual that can extend life. This had nothing to do with power. It was all about you regaining your immortality. But you baka, it doesn't work like that, does it? You figured that out a long, long time ago. Before you met my mom. I bet you were sleeping in that meadow on purpose, waiting for someone, anyone to show up. Then when it was my mom, you couldn't have been more excited. You had your sacrifice and one that would happily be your sacrifice for the next time. I bet you were so happy. You realized that you were dying even though the ritual made you immortal again. You were immortal. You lived for hundreds of more years. But then it started to wear off. You realized you would have to keep doing the ritual in order to stay immortal. Sorry, but the next double blue moon is about 30 years. As to why you couldn't do it any sooner was because you have to wait 1000 years in between each ritual and you need a human with extraordinary magical power. Hard to find a willing victim isn't it?"

He foot had unconsciously been putting more pressure on his neck as she talked. Acnologia's hand twitched as he tried to lift it, but he was at his limit.

"Keep your hand down. I'm not done yet. I would have to guess that I'm around 650 years old. I lost count," she spoke to herself.

"674," he said, his voice hoarse.

"How thoughtful, you remember how old I am. Probably needed to in order to keep track of how much longer you needed to wait. The problem with having to wait is that, you can't keep a human sacrifice for safe keepings. They die within a century. So you need to find one with plenty of magic, willing, and within the time period allotted. That's why I was perfect. I've lived 674 years and am still young, I have plenty of magic, and I would have been willing if you managed to keep me ignorant."

She picked up her foot and Acnologia inhaled sweet, sweet air. She replaced her foot on his jaw and forced his head to the side. She leaned on her foot and looked him in the eye, her hair flowing around his neck. The golden locks emphasized her hateful, golden gaze.

"Unfortunately…you didn't," she whispered, looking him in the eye. "I don't want anyone to end up like me. Or like Kanon and Makarov."

She fisted her hand and pulled her elbow back so her fist was parallel with her head. Vibrations radiated off of her fist and is was so compacted that it looked like a heat wave. She watched as his eyes widened and he started squirming again. His claws scratched the ground and his tail twitched back and forth. In a desperate attempt of defense, he tried to lift his head to bite her, but he only succeeded in wiggling his head under her foot and snapping his mouth like a fish out of water.

She put more pressure on her foot and looked him in the eye.

"Goodbye Acnologia." She lifted her arm a little higher.

"STOP," a commanding voice echoed through the lair.

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A/N Okay guys. I don't know if you guys are really attached to this story like I am but I honestly had to stop writing for a week once I got to the part where Makarov and Kotone were saying their goodbyes when Makarov switched places with her. A few tears escaped my control and I couldn't continue. Though when I read it, I'm perfectly fine. Maybe I was caught up in the moment when I was writing it.

Reviews!

**keisha. latumahina** Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much!

**Edward the Pure** Sorry the last chapter was shorter than the rest. But this one is pretty long right? I had more time to write, even though I should be studying for finals! Also, WHY ARE YOU SO OBSERVANT! Hahaha jk jk jk! You noticed that something was off with Acnologia when I wanted it to be a surprise that he was basically dying…Oh well. The levers and stuff were supposed to be explained in this chapter but I didn't get around to it so in the next chapter you'll see why those were there. Another note, thanks for the support, but I got to admit, it honestly sucks how the people I convinced to try out now sing whenever they see me. They keep telling me they are serenading me for helping them, but it always makes me feel terrible when I know that voice was chose over mine…Well I got next year to try out. Being a junior trying out will give me seniority because I would be trying out for my senior year. But that just means I have to put up with another year of trying to harmonize with freshmen who are only doing it to get the required Arts credits in order to graduate…That's what infuriates me about reg. choir! They don't care! Some can't even sing! Oh well, suck it up Miu. It's just another year of experience that will further your chances of getting in next year. Anyways, thanks. Your story is as great as always.

**TheOrangeNeko** I wish you could have seen me when I read your review. I literally fell out of my chair and I think if someone came in and saw me, they would have seen a girl with her eyes bugging out of her head and glued to the computer screen as she peeked over her desk. Really, you are telling me that I am doing a better job with your character than you are? That, that gave me mixed feelings. I was so happy but at the same time I thought you were lying to make me feel better. But thank you, made my day. Also thanks for your support too. You guys made me feel better and I was able to write this chapter.

**Tsuki. Raven** Oh my goodness! Thank you! I feel honored! Did I update soon enough? Well, thank you for reviewing.

Thanks! Unitl next time my Loyal Royal Readers! Also before I forget. Give a big warm welcome to the newest member of our family,** Alice Harkey**! She is my amazing beta that helped me edit this chapter! She has an awesome FF going on right now called, **The Dragon Masters**. Pretty cool right? Go check it out!

So, without further ado, Miu signing out.


	22. Tears

Last time in Goodbye

Makarov was able to save Kotone but ended up giving up his own life. Kanon wasn't spared either and Makarov used his magic converted self to heal everyone. After that, both Kanon and Makarov gave the rest of their magic converted selves to Kotone. Kotone then attacked Acnologia and for lack of a better word, kicked his butt. She then revealed that Acnologia has lost his immortality and the ritual was the only way to regain his immortality temporarily. Knowing that if she let him go, he would continue rounding up sacrifices so, in order to make sure history wouldn't repeat itself, she decided to end him. Just when she was about to give the finishing blow, a voice stopped her.

* * *

><p>Her fist was shaking. Her eyes were glued to her enemy. She was so close to solving everything. Everything would end. Her life, Makarov's, and Kanon's…it would have all been worth it, they wouldn't die in vain.<p>

"I see you child. Don't worry, we'll make sure he's taken care of," a calm, soothing voice said behind her. It flowed over her and she felt its loving heart tangle its slippery fingers into her muscles, relaxing them. Her fist relaxed and she felt all of her stored sound escape. The loose stones and pebble close to her rattled from the escaping sound and Acnologia was able to move his head under the suddenly weightless foot.

He saw who was working their magic on his daughter and his squirming started up again. Kotone almost lost her balance but was able to stay on until he realized he wouldn't be getting anywhere anytime soon.

Kotone's field of vision was small, due to her hair draped around her, blocking her from view. Kotone's hair unwound itself from around Acnologia's neck and swirled around Kotone until it was a protective bubble. The only visible part of her was her eyes that could only be seen through a gap in her shield of hair that could easily be covered in a moment's notice.

She turned to her intruders, knowing who they were. It still didn't stop her from shaking from head to toe. She prayed that her shield wasn't shaking like she was, so she could at least pretend like they couldn't tell how scared she was.

"NOT NOW," the voice who stopped her said. He wasn't mad or yelling, he just had a loud voice that carried.

Kotone saw he was referring to the other dragon slayers who were starting to walk towards them. Wendy was crying tears of joy while the other three were dumbstruck.

"What the heck are you doing? Stop hiding like that! Be a Woman dang it!" a gruff voice said.

"Metalicana! There's no need to yell at the poor girl. She's had a rough time, she doesn't need more roughness in her life," the kind dragon from earlier said.

"She needs to put on her big girl panties and man up! Don't baby her! She's not a little kid! She definitely is still a kid, but she's not little anymore!" Metalicana said.

"PLEASE STOP GROWLING. IT IS IRRITATING ME, UNDOUBTEDLY IT BOTHERS THE DEAR CHILD AS WELL."

"Thank you Igneel. Now dear," they turned their attention back to Kotone, "I see why you called us here."

Kotone quickly closed the gap, but made it thin enough that she could still see through it.

"Yes, we know it was you. Now why don't you come over here? Let us see your pretty face," the silky voice said.

After some hesitation, she reopened the gap so they could see her eyes.

"Well, that's a start…" Metalicana said.

"NAME GIRL?" Igneel asked.

Kotone's gap shrunk as she watched them carefully. Her heart was racing. She had sent them a letter, but she didn't think they would get it, or even come so fast. She thought they would at least look at it, seeing as someone knew where they were. But for all of them to show up, together?

"Igneel, I think your naturally loud voice intimidates her. She responds well to Rainada."

The water dragon nodded, "You do as well Grandeeney. It's is probably our elements that have an effect on her."

The air dragon agreed with her own nod. They glanced at Kotone, whose gap had shrunk during their conversation. Grandeeney nodded to Rainada, who gave a short nod back.

Rainada took a step forward, causing the gap to close again. Rainada saw this and a small smile played on her lips. She laid down the way a dragon does, like a horse resting their legs. She placed her head on her hands and waited.

Kotone, like a little kitten, slowly peeked through a tiny gap. Rainada waited until Kotone felt brave enough to open the gap to its original size. It didn't take long, for Kotone was indeed a child before the ancient creatures.

"Oh my…" Rainada's voice flowed to Kotone's ears. "You have gorgeous eyes. They are very uncommon amongst humans."

"Shrununs…" she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"They're dragon's…" she whispered, her magic carrying her message to her audience.

Rainada lifted her head, confusion written on her face. She looked back to her fellow dragons who had grim, knowing expressions. Rainada turned back to Kotone with a small smile which was obviously put on.

"My dear, will you tell me your name?" she asked softly.

Kotone's gap opened a little more, they could see part of her forehead now. She blinked and glanced at all the dragons before she looked back at Rainada. "Kotone…" she whispered softly.

"A beautiful name."

"…I hate it..."

"My name is Rainada, I'm Alice's mom."

"My Dad gave me my name, that's why I hate it…"

"Who gave you the name doesn't matter. It's what it represents that matters."

"It represents my element," Kotone said.

"Do you love your element?"

Kotone gave up on whispering, "It's useful."

"Do you love it?"

Kotone's hair opened even more. It showed her shoulders and she lifted a hand and placed it on her hair, showing her dragon claws. She picked out a golden lock and started played with it, fiddling with her hands. She glanced back up at Rainada, who was trying to hide her surprise.

"I love my brother. My brother loved me. So if he loved me and my element, then I love it too," she smiled.

Rainada cleared her throat and tried to speak. She opened her mouth a few times but nothing came out. She was at a loss for words, never having seen anything like her before. Rainada's disturbed composure made Kotone's hair unconsciously start closing the gap again, but the hair stopped moving when Grandeeney moved right behind Rainada.

"You must love your brother a lot," Grandeeney's voice caressed the air, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Kotone's smile disappeared and she brought the golden lock to her face, watching carefully. She could tell they were using their magic, but she didn't think they would do anything too terrible in front of their kids. "Yes, I love my brother very much. He is the only person I considered closer than blood."

"Where is your brother now?" Rainada asked, having regained her composure.

The gap closed with a snap. She didn't want to talk about Makarov, especially with dragons.

"THIS ISN'T WORKING," Igneel boomed.

The gap opened slightly. The gap was so small that you couldn't fit five sheets of paper through it. "Igneel."

The fire dragon cocked his head and seemed amused. "YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME LITTLE ONE?" he asked.

"My brother told me that Natsu said you were a nice dragon."

He laughed and the stones on the floor moved with each blast of laughter. It eventually subsided, "YES, NATSU THINKS GREAT OF EVERYONE."

"But there is no such thing as a nice dragon."

The room became quiet. No one dared to even take a deep breath in this tense room. The dragons were stunned and Kotone was confused. Her bubble shrunk till she was surrounded by a layer of hair as thick as a brick wall and she sat in the fetal position, clutching her golden lock. Her hand shook as she searched for the second lock. She found it quickly and held both of them to her chest, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

_Now I've done it. They're going to kill me now. I shouldn't have called them. I don't even know if they will do anything about Acnologia. They might even help him. Baka, baka, baka, baka…_

Meanwhile, the dragon slayers only comprehended that Kotone and their parents were communicating. When Kotone said that there was no such thing as a nice dragon, they suddenly became aware of the situation.

Instead of feeling anger at the outrageous statement, they felt sympathy and sadness. To have lived a life without knowing a parent's love… They glanced at the dragons, watching as they exchanged glances amongst each other, understanding that they would never get her to open up to them.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Natsu yelled.

Alice and Gajeel exchanged their own glance; he actually knew a word like judgment?

Kotone's shield trembled slightly, behind the shield her eyes were bugging out of her head and claws digging into her hands, gripping her locks tightly. She felt her mind start to go numb with panic and she started hyperventilating. Her nose twitched and her toes curled.

"Kotone, can you hear me? You said you've known us since we entered the guild, that I have a good nose when it comes to people!" he said confidently, a big goofy grin on his face.

Alice's hand made contact with her forehead, "Natsu, that doesn't even make sense!"

He puffed up, getting all defensive, "Yes it does! Right Kotone? Makes perfect sense!"

The trembling of her hair was still present. She was silent, her troubled breathing being the only sound in the room.

"Kotone?" Natsu called.

The dragon slayers felt their parents' watchful gaze and they hesitantly looked back before walking toward the ball of silver hair. They approached the black dragon, hesitant to go near it.

The black tail twitched, causing Wendy to practically jump out of her skin.

"Don't come near us," Acnologia rasped.

Kotone's shield's trembling turned into fierce shuddering and her breathing became even more labored. Hearing this, Natsu scrambled up to Kotone, dismissing Acnologia's warning. He reached the silver sphere, more like a silver blur, due to her shaking.

Wendy was the next one up, followed by Alice and Gajeel. They could hear the labored breathing clearly, being closer to the source. Hidden within the loud breathing were small, quiet whines, more like soft squeaks.

Wendy was the first to have the courage to approach the blur. She was confused though, remembering the first time she calmed the mighty dragon of sound. It was back in Edolas, when Kotone showed up and helped defeat the Dorma anim. She showed them her dragon form, hoping they would help her find Makarov. Wendy was the first to recognize the small girl they had been talking to moments before. She had placed her small hand on one of Kotone's dragon claws. The dragon had smiled sadly at Wendy. It was only now that Wendy realized why she smiled that way. Kotone knew she was scared, but she couldn't do anything to change that.

Wendy looked the wall of hair and gasped. The roles were reversed now. Kotone was scared and out of reach to Wendy. She couldn't do anything to help even if she wanted to.

_I refuse to believe that_, she thought. She placed her hand on the hair without any doubts or hesitation. The shuddering stopped, and then came back full force. Wendy's hand started moving from the sphere and she brought her other hand up to help her. She wiggled a finger through the hair, creating a small hole. She grabbed one side of the hole and pulled down while her other hand pulled up. The hair tried to pull the hole close, causing Wendy's hands to smack together, losing all of her progress. She tried pushing her hands apart but the hair was immovable. "Kotone!" she exclaimed. "Please, just let me in!"

Alice came over and glanced at Rainada, who nodded her approval. Alice nodded back and turned to Wendy. Alice slipped her hand into the wall of hair and pushed down. "You push up and I'll push down. Agreed?"

Wendy nodded and followed Alice's directions. The hair started moving and a gap the size of a pencil was formed.

"Kotone!" Alice grumbled under the strain. "This is ridiculous! Hiding won't accomplish anything!" With that, Alice had to catch herself from falling over from the sudden lack of pressure under her hands. Wendy was caught by Gajeel for she fell backwards. She thanked him and scurried back to Kotone. Alice moved out of the way for Natsu as Gajeel and Wendy joined them. Once they confirmed that Alice and Wendy were alright, they looked inside.

They froze as the scene in front of them would never be erased from their memories. Kotone sat, clutching the golden locks to her chest, the locks now slightly tinted red from the deep punctures on her palms that were a result of her claws. Her lower lip, bleeding, was caught between her new, dragon sharp teeth. Her eyes wide with fear, tears flowing from her like a never ending fountain of youth. Each tear that ran down her face just seemed to emphasize that fact that she was still just a little girl. Her huge capacity of wisdom seemed to let them forget the fact that she wasn't even a teenager yet.

Natsu's face showed masked surprise, or could it have been understanding? His eyes were wide but his mouth was set in that almost frown that he had.

He lifted his hand and Kotone flinched, bringing her shoulders up to her ears. Her eyes clamped shut and her quivering started up again. Natsu saw this and stopped his hand. It was about halfway to her and frozen in time. His eyes were no longer wide, instead his face showed his determination. His placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward him in one swift movement. He rested her forehead on the crook of his neck and wrapped his other arm around her. He held her there, her hands still clutching the reddish-gold locks to her chest.

"You're not alone," Natsu spoke softly. "Remember that. You won't be alone ever again."

Kotone opened her eyes and saw that she was being embraced, not about to be ripped to shreds. The shaking stopped and so did her tears. She wouldn't be alone. She lifted her hands and looked at the locks. Golden and red. Makarov and Kanon. They were gone. She would never see them again.

No. These locks were proof that they would always be with her.

She let go of the locks and gripped Natsu's vest, no longer bothering to hide her sobbing. She felt a small hand on her back and her hair fanned around her, forming spikes as a warning.

"It's just me Kotone," Wendy cooed. "Can I look at your hands?"

She lifted her head and glanced at Natsu's smiling face before turning her head to look at Wendy, who was also smiling warmly. Kotone slowly took one hand from Natsu's vest. She held it to her chest, slightly fisted. Wendy's patient smile grew as she saw Kotone inch her hand toward her. Wendy also slowly lifter her own hand and held it out, waiting for Kotone to come to her.

Kotone hesitated as her hand was hovering over Wendy's. It was as if she was meeting them all over again. She was the one lost in the foreign land and they were there to make sure she was okay. She didn't know how to behave or what was considered appropriate. She had never been held as if she was the small child. She had been the one holding the child when she met Makarov. She was the one who was taking care of everyone else.

She placed her clawed hand in Wendy's who gently turned it over. She saw the deep gashes in her hand and Wendy frowned. She placed her other hand on Kotone's and her hands glowed a soft blue.

"You'll probably need to wear gloves until you get used to the claws. You might accidentally cut yourself," Wendy commented. "Other hand please."

Kotone was much quicker with the second hand, not hesitating in the slightest. Natsu patted her on the head and Kotone looked up at him with confusion.

"Have you calmed down yet?" he said, the big goofy grin still in place.

She nodded, but she didn't look across the room at the dragons that started her panic attack. That would only put them back at step one. Instead she focused on her disappearing injuries.

"That should do it. Now I need to heal your lip, you bit it pretty hard," Wendy said.

Kotone nodded and watched as Wendy's hand hovered a few centimeters from her face. Wend pulled her hand away after a few seconds and used it to tuck a few strands of silver hair behind the girl's ear.

"I see why you don't cut your hair now. It's very resourceful," Alice commented.

Wendy nodded her agreement, "But it's a shame though, many girls will be jealous of your beautiful hair."

Kotone blushed, ducking her head.

"Now let's clean those pretty gold locks," Wendy murmured, licking her thumb. She picked up a gold lock and started rubbing the blood off of it. Wendy's eyes widened and her entire face light up. "Wow! Alice come and touch her hair!"

Alice gave her an 'are you stupid' look and even took a step back. Wendy dragged some of the hair with her as she ran after Alice who panicked and ran away. Wendy laughed as Alice shook her hand in the air, cursing Wendy for trying to make her do something so weird.

Gajeel burst out laughing at the scene and had to hold his sides. Natsu, as curious as ever, lifted a few strands and held it in his hand. "I don't see the big deal," he murmured.

Kotone lifted a bundle of her hair and piled it on her lap. She grabbed Natsu's hand and ran it through his hair.

"Yeah, okay. My hair is nice…" he said. Kotone took his hand off his head and ran his fingers through her hair. His face lit up and he picked up a mound of her hair. "Yo Gajeel! Hold this for me!" He yelled, throwing the hair at his comrade.

Gajeel wasn't fast enough to catch it, still laughing at Alice, and the hair hit him in the face, knocking him over.

"What's the big idea Hothead?" he yelled.

"I don't know Metalface! You just got knocked over by hair!"

Gajeel grabbed the hair and threw it back at Natsu who grabbed it and tied it around his face. "Hey check it out! I got a beard and mustache now!"

Gajeel's eyes twitched, the little runt was making fun of him! He tackled Natsu and they rolled, getting tangled in the extremely smooth and soft hair.

Meanwhile, Alice was extremely tired from using two powerful attacks without having any water for a day. She and Wendy were doubling back, undoubtedly because Alice knew she still had more stamina than Wendy and climbing Acnologia would tire the air dragon slayer out. Alice, being as disoriented as she was, got her foot caught on the trail of hair that ran across the room. She tripped and fell into a hammock of hair that wasn't there before. Natsu and Gajeel were being held apart by two hands of hair and Wendy's hair that she was holding was snuggly wrapped around her feet.

"I'm the one being ridiculous? Look at all of you! Beating each other up over hair of all things! Wendy, there's no need to pester Alice when she's already wary of you from when you guys were with Kanon. Gajeel, for crying out loud there was no need to tackle Natsu! Even though Natsu shouldn't have been baiting you, he was only trying to be nice!" Kotone dictated.

All of them flushed with embarrassment and looked anywhere but at her. All of them, including Kotone jumped out of their skins when the room erupted in laughter. They slowly turned and looked over their shoulders, remembering that their parents were watching.

Rainada was on the ground, rolling. Grandeeney and Metalicana were leaning on each other since they couldn't stand on their own. Igneel was holding his belly, head thrown back. Their laughter was so loud that Kotone thought she wouldn't ever need to harvest sound again.

"We're sorry! Truly!" Grandeeney managed to say.

"Igneel, that rascal of yours is the spitting image of you!" Metalicana exclaimed.

Igneel wiped his eyes, "OH THE SAME COULD BE SAID OF THAT BOY OF YOURS!"

"Alice is nothing like you!" Grandeeney said, falling onto Rainada.

"Wendy is _nicer_ than you! Who knew that could happen!" she replied.

"Well one thing's for sure!" Metalicana said, calming herself. "These kids are a perfect match for each other. Wendy here can heal our two bakas after they're done fighting. Then Kotone is there to chide them and try to prevent them from fighting, the child-mother. Then Alice over here is a little sour claw isn't she?"

"I thought that would be Gajeel! He's hardly talked since we got here," Rainada commented.

"Naw he just has too much pride to show his soft side!" Metalicana replied.

"Alice is probably a little tired and moody from exhaustion. I mean look at the floor. That must have taken a lot of water out of her small frame!" Grandeeney defended.

"No she is full of herself that one. She probably thinks she has her own fan group," Rainada said.

Alice puffed up, "I do have a fan group! I sign autographs all the time! I'm practically a legend!"

The dragons erupted in laughter yet again. Alice blushed a crimson red before hopping out of Kotone's hammock of hair and stomping away, arms crossed.

"Uhhhhhhh…."

The dragons stopped laughing and turned to the source of the voice. A blonde haired girl sat next to a half-naked boy, both wearing extremely shocked and confused expressions.

"KOTONE PLEASE TAKE CARE OF THEM."

Kotone hopped off the black dragon and landed quietly in the water, her hair trailing behind her braided together by itself as she fell. It still dragged in the water though, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. As she walked, her dragon hands and feet slowly shifted until they regained their human shape. They were still huge, they were still clawed, and they were still covered in scales, but they didn't look too odd anymore.

Kotone crouched in front of Gray and Lucy, both watching her intently.

"Wait! Hold on a second! What are you going to do to us?" Lucy asked, waving her hands in front of her.

Kotone placed her scaly hands on their cheeks, "Don't worry kids, I'll make sure none of you will go through this ever again."

Gray cocked an eyebrow but stayed silent. Lucy's eyes widened, completely understanding, the clever girl she is.

Kotone hummed a note then black and white feather sprouted out of her arm in seconds. Lucy almost yelped but a claw on her lips silenced her. Kotone examined her arm to see what the itchy feeling on her arm was. She was startled for a moment before shrugging inside and smiling outside.

"I don't think either or you have seen my complete dragon form. Is that right?" Kotone asked.

Lucy and Gray nodded, knowing that she didn't want them to speak.

"Let's keep it that way," she murmured. She lifted her arm with the feathers and examined it. The black feathers were right where they needed to be, so she didn't have to worry about improvising. "Well," she said, "I was planning on using my usual method, but this idea just popped into my head. Since no matter what I do to try and suppress my magic will ever work now, some parts of me will remain dragon. So, I hope this works."

Her other hand became a blur as it raced up and down her new feathers, creating a sound similar to a mix between a piano and a violin.

"Wow, I could use this technique in dragon form too. My tail should be long enough for….." she said, but stopped. She glanced at the two teens to see them lying on the floor, completely passed out. "Powerful technique…."

"Well of course dear! This is why we came actually. We need to…" Grandeeney faded out, realizing that there was more rustling.

Lady Chiyoko was sitting up slowly, very slowly in her old age. Kotone slid over to her as fast as she could in the water and positioned herself so the Lord of the Shark Empress couldn't see the dragons. Kotone's hair wrapped itself over her shoulders until the pile of coils covered her nose, mouth, and neck. The rest of her braided hair hit her kneecap and she quickly put her hands under the water to blur their form.

"Chiyoko-chan…" she whispered, surprise and wonder reflected in her eyes.

"My…where am I? Child I can't see very well in this dark room and I seem to have a mean head ache," she murmured, leaning onto Kotone's shoulder. "I had the strangest dream, Dear. We were chasing Kotone-sama into a dark cave in order to save her. Then Acnologia was there!" She whispered the last sentence as if just mentioning his name would curse them. "He attacked us when we tried to save Kotone and that's when the dream ended. Horrifying nightmare it was. Kotone-sama looked like she was in so much pain. It must have been because those guild members came, claiming they knew Kotone." She sighed and her hand patted Kotone on the head in a motherly fashion. "Oh I can't tell in this light darling, who are you?"

Kotone lifted a hand out of the water and helped the old lady to lie down. Her other hand placed the old lady's hand back on her stomach. "Lady Chiyoko, I have a feeling that the dream of yours might mean something. But for now, I think sleeping will relieve your head ache."

"Oh thank you child. It's moments like these that make me feel so old."

Kotone played her feathers and Chiyoko was fast asleep. The old woman's face was full of peace and a small smile graced her lips as she breathed evenly through her nose. Kotone smiled in response and decided that she would personally thank the lady for helping her guild members.

She looked up and saw that other people were starting to moan and move. Her hand flew to her feathers and she started playing a lullaby that wasn't familiar to the dragon slayers. There was a chorus of sighs as people relaxed into their deep sleep. Kotone's melody faded as her hand slowed down, leaving the room in silence yet again.

"What a handy ability!" Rainada commented.

Kotone sharply turned her head to see the dragons, examining them. They stood or sat patiently, just like their children who were waiting for permission to approach. Kotone's gaze was wondering at first, but they changed to knowing when she saw how all of them were watching her.

She stood up and felt her arms start to itch again; knowing that the feathers had disappeared and her dragon hands replaced them. Her fingers twitched unconsciously as her bones moved and molded into the threatening nature of a dragon's. She heard a sickening pop sound as a digit fell into its socket.

Her mouth, hidden behind her scarf of braids, was set in a line as her eyes darted from dragon to dragon.

"I called you here to take care of Acnologia," she stated.

"YES. AND WE WILL DEAL WITH HIM," Igneel replied, nodding his head.

Kotone's eyebrows knit together as she continued to watch them. "All of you wouldn't have come just to deal with him. There is another reason. What do you want?"

Metalicana's face became twisted with anger, "Don't assume things you little brat! We are here to deal with Acnologia! Isn't that the reason you contacted us?"

Kotone glanced at Gajeel, who was calmly looking back and forth between Kotone and his mother. Alice, Natsu, and Wendy were fidgeting as they tried to follow the conversation.

"I didn't say you weren't here to deal with that monster. I said that there was another reason. He is just a side job and you have made that obvious," she stated, her hidden mouth forming a frown. She knew she was right, she knew. She had the urge to bite her tongue to suppress her anger, but remember at the last second that her teeth had recently become dragon teeth. One bite and she would have lost her tongue. She noted at the back of her head that she needed a new habit to suppress her anger.

"What makes you say that?" Grandeeney asked, holding a claw up to Metalicana, who was about to shoot her mouth off again.

Kotone pointed to the dragon slayers, "You could sense that they were here, but you came anyway. If you were really only here to take Acnologia, you wouldn't have wasted time calming me down and you would have taken him away by now. Also, you wanted everyone asleep so they couldn't hear our conversation. Not to mention the fact that all of you have had your eyes focused on me since you got here. So I'm going to repeat myself, what do you want?"

There was a moment of silence before Igneel smirked, "Well aren't you the clever one?"

"I don't like how your tone has changed either," Kotone snapped, hearing the fire dragon talk smoothly.

Igneel narrowed his eyes and was silent, knowing that they had taken a step forward and three steps back. Rainada cleared her throat, trying to work her calming magic into her voice again, "You are right, there is a second reason."

Rainada immediately stumbled backwards and was waving her head from side to side, as if trying to get away from an annoying bug.

"I don't want to listen to such obvious magic. Just tell me what you want and do what I asked you to do. That or leave," Kotone hissed, sending a high pitched screech at Rainada.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO RAINADA?" Alice yelled, charging at Kotone. She was stopped by Gajeel, but she was still kicking until Kotone waved her hand in Alice's direction. Alice's legs dangled, useless as Gajeel held her. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"

"I stopped all messages from your brain to your legs so you can't interfere. Now, spit it out already," Kotone snarled, never taking her eyes off the dragons.

Igneel's dragon face was conveying anger yet understanding as he said, "IF THAT IS WHAT YOU DESIRE, THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A CONSISTENT NUMBER OF DRAGONS, 7 TO BE EXACT. IF ACNOLOGIA IS TO BE CONDEMED BY DRAGON LAW, HE MUST BE REPLACED TO UPHOLD THE BALANCE."

Kotone listened, her eyes showing that she understood how grim her situation was.

"You are his child and you have already partially undertaken the ritual to change into a dragon, though obviously something must have gone wrong long ago. Which is why you have your humanoid appearance," Grandeeney inserted.

"My mother cracked the egg."

"That would be the cause then…" Grandeeney whispered.

Metalicana, tired of beating around the bush, said, "You are the only contender to replace the traitor."

Kotone sighed, her eyes still burning with a furious passion, "I thought it would come down to something like that. So you want me to do what exactly?"

"Come with us to the dragon council so you can live with us. We will raise you until you are old enough to fend for yourself in the council. Then you can come and go as you please. Normally, at your age you would be considered old enough to do as you please, but since you aren't fully a dragon, the council will probably raise the quota," Rainada said, recovering from the ear splitting sound.

Kotone turned on her heel and started walking out, "Find someone else."

The dragons looked at each other before starting to follow the young dragon, voicing their objections.

"Can it. I have a guild to take care of now." She spun around and glared at the dragons, "Don't ask me again unless you can figure out a way for me to stay with my guild. They are my number one priority now." She glanced at the dragon slayers, watching their reactions.

Natsu had a big goofy grin on his face again and Wendy was smiling, on the verge of leaping for joy. Gajeel smirked, like he knew it all along, and Alice hung in his arms, mouth a gaping hole.

Kotone nodded and walked down the corridors, dragging her claws along the wall, creating a loud, obnoxious noise as she left.

"Kotone! Where are you going?" Natsu yelled. "Wait up! I'm coming with you!" He jumped up and ran to the corridor, but was stopped by a scaly hand being placed on his chest, bringing him to an abrupt halt.

"You seem to be ignoring the elephant in the room Natsu, or should I say dragons?" she cocked her eyebrow at him. "Am I mistaken in remembering you relentlessly searching for Igneel ever since he left?"

Natsu shook his head, listening for once in his life.

Kotone's eyes smiled up at him as she said, "Then I think you should stay and talk with your Dad. I'm sure that's what you really want to do. Trust me, I'll be fine and I won't run away. I also don't need someone to come with me. I see the objection in your eyes. I'll be fine. If you're worried that I'm going to be alone, then you are mistaken. Kanon and Makarov are always going to be with me, not to mention I have an entire guild to support me now. You're the one who told me that I would never be alone again, so there's no need to worry."

Natsu finally relaxed and his goofy grin was back on his face, "You're right!"

"Of course I am. I'm always right. Remember that and your life will be a lot easier with me as master." She smiled and turned around and walked out, leaving huge gouges in the wall.

The room was silent once again, no one quite sure what to say. At the same time, no one was brave enough to break the fragile blanket of silence that cloaked the room. Time passed and hardly anyone had even budged under the suffocating silence.

Gajeel was the first to break the silence, "They aren't going to explain so let them take Acnologia and get out of here."

Metalicana puffed up and her face turned a crimson red. She glared at the boy as if setting him on fire wouldn't be enough. "How DARE you make such a statement! What have I been telling you? Assuming will get you killed!"

"He's right though," Rainada interjected her thoughts, yet again.

Gajeel huffed and didn't even bother looking at the dragons, "If they were going to say something, they would have said it already. Especially Metalicana, she hates beating around the bush."

That made the metal dragon shut her mouth, though she didn't stop glaring at Gajeel, who seemed used to it.

Gajeel grumbled under his breath, something about typical dragons… Wendy on the other hand, wanted to believe that there was a reason. A reason that would explain why she was abandoned, left behind to fend for herself.

It seemed Alice thought the same as Wendy, but had the louder voice. "I don't care if they don't tell us why! I just want to know if there even was a reason! Did we do something wrong? Did we? Did you want to leave?"

"Heavens no!" Rainada exclaimed.

"We even fought to stay!" Grandeeney insisted.

Metalicana marched over to Acnologia, placing her own foot on his neck, the same way Kotone did. "Wish we could meet under different circumstances though."

"WISH WE COULD STAY," Igneel said, grabbing the black dragon's limp wings.

"What? Leaving already?" Natsu and Wendy exclaimed.

Grandeeney nodded as she grabbed Acnologia's legs, followed by Rainada grabbing his arms.

"We came for Acnologia and Kotone. That was decided at the council," Rainada commented. "Kotone has refused this offer, so we will report back to the council and await our new orders."

"So we'll see you again?" Alice asked, standing up and finally regaining control over her legs.

"Probably not. The council didn't think you would be here. So they will probably call Kotone to the council instead," Metalicana said bluntly. "Come on you softies. Say your goodbyes."

Suddenly the three dragons became stiff, realizing that it really was time to leave. They looked into the eyes of their children, seeing confusion, sadness, longing… Regret was in every cell of their bodies. They felt their hands tighten and the prickle of tears at the corners of their eyes. They bit their tongues, knowing that it would betray them if they opened their mouths. They looked away, not being able to bring themselves to look their children in the eye.

Betrayed. Hurt. Forgiving. The dragon slayers watched their parents go. The force of the dragon's wings caused their hair to fly and lift their clothes. So they watched the dragons go. Wendy grabbed Natsu's hand. She grabbed Gajeel's hand. She looked up at Grandeeney, who was looking up at the sky. Morning was coming.

Natsu grabbed Alice's hand who squeezed it return. Alice felt her cheeks itch and her hand felt her face. It came away wet. She looked up at Rainada, who didn't even bother to hide her tears. That's the thing about water dragons, once they start they can't stop until they are empty.

The dragons ascended and with three flaps of their wings, they were gone. Under them was air and under that was a forest, the same one Daniel and the others navigated through with the music box.

"You know that she won't leave. If she doesn't leave, then you will be forced to kill either me or her. As bad as I am, I'm actually a dragon, so she's more likely to be killed," Acnologia said, pleased at the outcome of his deduction.

Metalicana squeezed his neck, "I'll make sure you're the one to die. Those kids love her. I don't want to take away another parent from them."

"Look, Metalicana actually has a soft side. Who knew…" he was cut off by the sudden lack of oxygen.

Metalicana smiled, "I can tell he continued singing. That's a good boy of mine."

"Wendy is finally in a proper guild. Cat Shelter was nice but no one was real. This way she can create relationships that last," Grandeeney said, smiling.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that they are healthy and are well taken care of. We can finally relax," Rainada said, smiling through her tears.

"INDEED." Igneel said, finally raising his head, looking forward and directly ahead.

* * *

><p>They watched as the dragons became a speck in the sunrise, tears in all of their eyes.<p>

"I-is this…is this how Makarov felt when Kotone left him?" Wendy sniffed, letting go of Natsu's hand to wipe her tears. The tracks on her face smeared and she thought her nose was going to run.

"Undoubtedly," Alice said, wiping her own tears furiously. "Why did they do this to us a second time?"

"They didn't want to," Natsu said, still looking at the sunrise.

"Do you think it just runs in the dragon blood? Kotone left Makarov a second time," Gajeel said, watching as the sun peaked over the mountains in the distance.

Wendy pulled on Gajeel's hand, "Don't you dare say that! Kotone left to protect Makarov-sama! As bad as we are hurting, we don't have the right to say things like that!"

"Wendy's right," Natsu said, finally bringing up the hand Wendy let go to clean his face of salty tears. "We know our family is alive. Kotone doesn't have that privilege. I don't think she'll ever be able to forgive herself about what happened today. You saw how she was when our parents came. It was too much for her. She broke. Gajeel, if I ever hear you say something like that again, I will break you." He looked Gajeel in the eye, his face devoid of any doubt.

"I don't care! People who leave their loved ones behind are despicable!" Alice yelled. She stomped her feet in the water, creating a splash that soaked her legs. "IT'S JUST WRONG!"

Natsu slapped her on the back, a mad expression on his face. "Same goes to you Alice! If I hear you say anything like that again, I'll make sure you pay for it!"

Wendy came over and tried to console the girl as Natsu started marching off in the direction Kotone went. He got to the corridor and took two steps in before he froze.

There stood Kotone, back against the wall, head angled so a shadow was cast upon her eyes. Her single braid was wrapped over her shoulders like a scarf until all Natsu could see was her shaded eyes. Hidden in the shadows, Natsu knew her amber eyes were displaying a wide arrange of emotion. Her silver braid, although being wrapped over her shoulders, still reached her knees and her two golden locks made two small loops on the sides of her face before joining the rest of her hair in the braid. She was wearing huge black gloves to cover her dragon hands and on her feet were huge black boots to cover her dragon feet. Her long black pants partially covered her boots and on top she had a black halter top and black coat. All Natsu could see of her skin was the shaded eyes, but he was too nervous to investigate as to what hid in that shadow.

"Kotone…" he whispered.

Her hands slowly came up, almost robotic like, and revealed two shopping bags bursting at the seams with so much food packed into them.

"I thought you guys might be hungry. So I stopped at the market in the Shark Empress's village. I didn't steal it. I told them that lady Chiyoko would pay for it once she got back."

Natsu didn't move, he couldn't. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't apologize for what she heard. They both knew it wouldn't make a difference. And it seemed that if he took the groceries, she would leave, there being nothing left for her to do. He couldn't let her leave like that.

"Yo Natsu! What are you doing over there?" Gajeel called. They could hear the sloshing of feet coming toward them. Multiple pairs of feet. "Hothead answer me!"

They walked to the opening of the corridor and froze, just like Natsu. They saw the groceries and instantly felt terrible. Alice, Gajeel, and Wendy stood there like idiots as they realized what had just happened.

Kotone dropped the groceries, the splash creating a ripple effect that touched every one of them as they stood in the water covered floor.

"Alice, can you please get rid of all the water in here? Throw it over the side of the lair, it isn't drinkable anymore. Natsu, can you stay and create a fire when she is done? Your friends are going to be cold from the water. Wendy, Gajeel, come with me please." With that, she robotically turned and walked away like there was a pack of rapid animals in a cage behind her.

At first none of them moved, but then in a burst of speed, they hurried to do as what was asked of them. Alice scrambled to get over to the other side of the room. She dropped to her knees and thrust her hands into the water. She pulled them out and two streams of water followed. She threw her hands up, in the direction of the hole in the ceiling. The water followed the invisible path and continued to flow out of the lair. Alice kept her hands up, keeping the designated path open.

Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel followed Kotone, her quick pace causing them to jog every couple of steps.

"Natsu, why are you coming?" Wendy asked.

He smiled and said, "To keep a fire going, you need wood right?"

Wendy continued jogging, her face flushed at the obvious reason. But her face was crimson when she felt Gajeel's arm wrap around her waist and carry her as they speed walked down the corridors.

"I'm sorry I'm so slow," Wend said, covering her face with her hands, hoping to hide her blush.

Natsu ruffled her hair, "Well you are the shortest of all of us. It would only make sense if your smaller legs can't keep up! Just watch, trying to keep up with us at your age will make you twice as fast as us when you are as big as us!"

Wendy nodded her head, still slightly embarrassed.

Suddenly they stopped, shading their eyes. The sun was so bright, it was unbelievable. It was just so surprising, yet so uplifting. It was as if they were seeing it for the first time.

"It seems so odd to see that the world continued moving during last night. That's what you're thinking, right?" Kotone quietly said, almost a whisper. The Fairy Tail trio nodded, awed by the awesome light. "When one is as old as I am, not much surprises you. But if I am being honest with myself, I thought the world ended last night as well." She continued walking and they saw that she had created a dirt incline from the ground to the opening of the lair. It would be easy to climb and walk down.

Again, the dragon slayers felt guilty about saying those things back in the lair. Natsu nudged Gajeel, who grumbled, but understood. He didn't need to be reminded for he already knew what he should do.

He coughed gently, not sure how to start. His free hand scratched the back of his head and he wasn't quite sure where to look, so he decided to look at the sunrise, "Kotone, what you heard back there…I just want you to know that I'm sorry and that I didn't mean it."

"I know," she whispered, finally looking at them, her eyes sad. "But that doesn't mean hearing them didn't hurt. I better get used to it though. I will hear it until your generation is gone. Maybe even after your generation." She looked back at the sunrise and sighed, "I bet you a hundred laps around Fiore that the dragon council is planning on killing me since I didn't accept."

Natsu balked at the idea, "Why would they kill you?"

Kotone was quiet again. She looked at the bridge of dirt she had made and continued walking down, no longer speed walking. "They said there must always be a balance amongst the dragons. There can only be seven dragons at a time and one of those dragons is the dragon king. They came to me because I am considered to be a dragon now. This means there are 8 dragons in existence."

"Then why don't they kill Acnologia? He's going to die soon anyways right?" Gajeel asked, following.

Kotone nodded her head before quietly saying, "I thought about that too, but Acnologia is a true dragon and I'm only partially. Dragons stick to tradition, which is probably why your parents were taken away when the dragon king found out they were raising humans. Hold on for one moment please."

She stopped and pulled her scarf of braids down, looking up at the trees ahead. The trio felt their ears itch as a group of five rough looking guys fell from the trees Kotone was looking at. The trio's ears stopped itching, a sign that Kotone stopped whatever magic she was using. Kotone started muttering about not being able to bite her tongue and whipped around to face the dragon slayers.

"Natsu, this would be a good place to collect firewood, would it not?" Kotone asked, her voice had an undertone to it that caused the hair of the back of their necks to stand. She brought Natsu's attention away from the men, who lied there, unmoving. He nodded and wandered off, leaving Wendy and Gajeel with an angry Kotone. "Look my guildlings…it seems I just got us more help. Master will have a word with our newest recruits…"

Kotone walked over to the closest man and whispered a few commands before all five of them stood up and waited for further instructions. She looked back at Gajeel and Wendy, who was now walking on her own, and beckoned for them to follow. Surprised, they looked at each other and shrugged before following Kotone and her five henchmen.

"Bakas, how long did you think you could tail me, as noisy as you are, before I found out?" Kotone asked the one that was rigidly walking next to her.

"We are known as the sneakiest bandits of Fiore and are wanted by the Wizard Council, how did you know we were following you?" he growled at her, obviously not moving of his own free will.

Kotone sighed and stretched out her arms, popping joints that needed some tension released. She glanced back at Wendy and Gajeel, who were majorly confused and didn't bother hiding it.

"I don't know about you guys," she began, looking at the dragon slayers, "but I'm starting to think that more things have happened this morning than last night."

They nodded, extremely confused at how fast things were happening.

"Well baka bandit, I don't think you are in the position to be asking questions. I might actually let you go if you answer mine. I want to know why you were helping Acnologia," she said casually.

Everyone jumped at that statement, even the henchmen. "How did you know about that?"

"I'm asking the questions and I don't feel like repeating myself," she said, exiting the forest and walking towards a familiar looking lake. They walked around Alice's training ground as Kotone waited patiently for the bandits to answer. When they had passed the lake, she spoke up again, "I'm not in the best of moods and I prefer to keep my pawns in one piece while they are still useful. Understand?"

He grimly nodded and his teeth grinding could be heard a meter away.

"Good. Then answer my questions as I ask them," she said, memorizing his face as they walked. "So, back to my question, why were you helping Acnologia?"

"He caught one of our friends and he said he would let her go if we helped him."

Kotone nodded her head. "That would make sense."

Wendy tapped Kotone on the shoulder, eyeing the stiff bandits around them, "Kotone, how did you know that Acnologia was getting help?"

Kotone sighed, knowing that it was going to be a very, very long day. "Natsu told me about 'the room with the levers' and a dragon wouldn't use new technology to do a job. If you take that and add the fact that I was followed coming and leaving the lair, it's very obvious that they are helping the monster. I just wanted to hear their sorry excuse as to why. To be honest Chandra came across as an independent girl, so I was mildly surprised when they didn't 'surprise attack' me. When they didn't attack, I knew that it either wasn't their job, or they didn't want to. Acnologia wouldn't care if they attacked so that meant they didn't want to attack. Since they didn't want to attack that means it was to their advantage to not attack or that they were good people. I purposefully created situations during my last trip that would have made attacking me to their advantage. So that just left the fact that they were good people. Since they were good, they wouldn't willingly help Acnologia which means they had something to gain for helping him. So I thought about…what is it now?" Kotone asked, slightly irritated that she was interrupted mid-rant.

"I'm confused," Wendy stated, on the verge of falling over, her head spinning so much.

"I think it would be easier if you just believe what I say in these situations then," Kotone said, stopping to steady the girl.

"How did you know it was Chandra?" the bandit asked.

"I'm asking the questions, remember? Also, didn't I just say it would be easier if you just accept my words as fact in these kinds of situations?"

"Yes and yes, but you make it sound like we will be seeing more of each other," he said cautiously.

"Undoubtedly. Now, I want to ask how you are related to Chandra," Kotone said, continuing her course through the woods.

"Are you her mother?"

"No, and you aren't her father, so why are you being so defensive?"

"You…I don't know if I should be impressed by how witty you are or insulted."

"Both, now please answer."

"She travels alone, we travel together. Our paths cross occasionally and we work together sometimes."

"I see, so you are not close friends. What is your name?"

"You ask personal questions."

"There is very little I don't know about you at this point so please answer my little questions to amuse me."

"Very well, it's John Smith."

"You mean Zachary Gresson. Zach for short."

"If you knew, why did you ask?"

"I wanted to see what you would say. Your fake name is so obviously fake though. I should be able to help you with that."

"Help?"

"Like I said, I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other, Zach of the Crooked Knights, wanted by the Wizard Council for ruining the lives of many nobles that so righteously should have been executed for their ways." She glanced at his red face, smiling at how easily he fell into her little trap. His short black hair and his black eyes are common, part of the reason he has managed to stay alive so long. The only distinguishing feature he has is the black mark behind his right ear. It's a little tattoo of a star, which he got when someone he loved left, probably died. He is around the age of 19. Lived under the rule of one of the nobles he toppled which is how he started the Crooked Knights. Over all a good person and extremely loyal to those he considers deserving. Kotone finished her assessment of the boy, getting all of that from their brief exchange. "Now Zach, I want to offer my assistance in return for the favor you are about to grant me."

"And what favor is that?"

"I want you to help carry blankets and food back to the lair," she said, smiling with her eyes to the bandit. At that moment they walked out of the woods and into the village with the shop keepers piling blankets and filling bags with food. They were running around, waking up the neighbors to see if they would be willing to help carry things.

"Oh my!" Kotone exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention in the village. "This is wonderful! Thank you very much!"

The villagers beamed and all of them rushed to say that they would do anything to help the Shark Empress. Kotone thanked all of them and directed Wendy and Gajeel to grab all that they could, watching them run off and help the villagers.

"So do you want to help?" Kotone asked the bandits.

"Do we have a choice?" Zach asked, still amazed at how the entire village was pitching in.

Kotone frowned, "Of course you do, but you're going back to the lair anyways, so why not carry a few things?"

"This is true, but can we move?"

"What are you talking about? You've been moving on your own since I got stopped mid-rant."

Zach blinked a few times and lifted his hand to his face, bending each finger. He fisted his hand and looked back at the little silver haired girl, who watched him curiously.

"Well I'll be…aren't you just a little sly fox?" He patted her on the head and flashed a goofy grin, "I like little foxes." He turned around and called his men over to go help everyone else.

Kotone felt a blush crawl over her cheeks and was extremely grateful that her hair covered most of her face. _A fox? Ignorant fool, does he even know what a fox symbolizes?_ She thrust the thought out of her head as she saw Wendy struggling to put a blanket on the top of the pile.

"Wendy dear, just start a new pile," she said, helping the girl regain her balance.

Wendy nodded in agreement and placed the blanket next to the others. She regained her breath and sat down heavily, "Kotone what are the blankets for?"

"Everyone back at the lair is wet from lying in the water so they are going to be cold. It's why I'm having Natsu create a fire and why we are getting blankets. I don't think anyone really had dinner so they are…"

"Hey Foxy!"

Kotone stopped midsentence and nearly jumped out of her skin at the new nick name. "What did you just call me?"

"Foxy!" Zach said, bounding up to them. "They got most of this stuff done before we got here. At this point they have a system to get it done and we are just getting in the way. So I had my guys grab what they could and start heading back."

"Yes I can hear them walking in the forest," she said tartly, not amused by the nick name.

"Can you really hear them that far away?"

"I can hear Alice complaining her arms hurt back at the lair. Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"You're bluffing."

"You're not very bright are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you even know what a fox symbolizes?"

"Uh…cunning?"

"Yes but not only that! In many legends in many cultures the fox is known as a witty seductress! A fox is known for its wisdom, charisma, longevity, and prosperity. But it is also known for its trickery, seducing, and not to mention that it is commonly the symbol for the afterlife! So basically you are calling me a witty seducing grim reaper!"

Wendy watched them bicker for a while, starting to feel like the third wheel. "B-but Kotone, minus all the bad things, you really are like a fox. You're going to live a long time and you're going to prosper in Fairy Tail. You are extremely charismatic when it comes to deducting an answer and you are extremely wise. Not to mention you can actually be very, very cunning and in a way you are a symbol of the afterlife. Because when I'm going to be long dead, you will still be here."

Kotone froze, feeling another blush creep its way onto her face. She turned away from them and quickly grabbed a couple bags of food, "Thanks Wendy. I'm sorry, but it might take a while before I get used to being complimented."

Suddenly Kotone dropped the bags as she felt something ram into her back. She fell to the ground, a weight on her back. Wendy giggled as she hugged Kotone, making her blush even more. "Don't worry Kotone, you're really cute when you blush!"

Kotone's entire face was beat red as Gajeel walked up, carrying seven bags of food on each arm. He stopped, stared, shook his head back and forth, looked back, and decided to ignore the scene of a red Kotone, giggling Wendy, and confused Zach.

* * *

><p>Alice fell to the ground, letting her arms drop. She moaned and looked over at Natsu who dropped the last couple of pieces of wood onto a massive pile. Natsu quickly set the pile on fire and watched as the room brightened till it wasn't the dark, gloomy place it appeared to be.<p>

Both of them jumped to attention when four strange men walked in though. When they saw the food, they were still cautious until the guys said they were with Kotone. Then Gajeel came, carrying almost twice as much as the four guys did.

"Slacking are we?" he taunted.

Since the challenge was issued, the four guys ran off, Gajeel close behind. Natsu soon followed, wanting to participate in the challenge.

Kotone, Zach, and Wendy came next, Zach and Wendy taking turns making Kotone blush. They secretly were trying to see who could make her turn the red-est shade of blush there possibly was.

Soon after Kotone, the rest of the village came and were about to head back, until Kotone stopped them. She said that her bumbling idiots would take care of the rest. Almost as if on cue, Natsu, Gajeel, and Zach's four guys came in carrying piles that could have passed as buildings and caused Kotone to shake her head in dismay.

That's when she realized that her bumbling idiots would be able to surprise her when she really needed it.

Soon the guild members and Shark Empress were starting to wake up. They were given a blanket and food before being told to sit by the fire. Kotone purposefully woke up Lucy and Gray, dragging them outside to tell them to not mention that the dragons came. Kotone also was the one who was there When Chiyoko woke up, handing her the blanket and food. Kotone escorted her to the fire and sat down with her for a while, letting the old lady talk about how she dreamed of meeting her since she was a little girl. Kotone couldn't linger for long, but she promised that she would come back and visit.

So Kotone helped the villagers get everyone up and ready, Lucy cried when she saw Levy sit up and look around. Wendy cried when Erza sat up. Erza patted Daniel on the back when he sat up seconds after her. Alice cried when Anzu sat up. Zach and his four guys started crying when Chandra sat up. Makarov didn't lie, he really did heal everyone. By the end of it all, everyone was crying except for Kotone.

Everyone went home. Zach and his group followed Kotone who said she had a plan for them.

The next day Kotone held a memorial for Makarov and Kanon. She walked to a place that was high up on a hill, with her guild following her. She stood at the top and began the sad day, saying that she was over joyed at how many people had come. "This," she said, "just proves how much his guild loves him. I do know that I originally held this for Makarov, but I also want to add one more person as well. Most of you know her as well as you know me, but a few of you knew her as well as you knew Makarov. A girl named Kanon also died that night and I just wanted to recognize that fact here, with everyone."

She looked over the crowds of people, some already crying, and saw Wendy standing with Lucy and Erza. Kotone felt a light go on inside her and this idea she hatched would become a tradition of all the masters to come after her. She lifted the end of her braid and saw the two golden locks flow past the sliver. She lifted the end of her braid to her mouth and kissed it. She slowly moved the braid away from her face and pointed at a spot well above the end of her hair. The wind picked up and within a second her hair exploded off her shoulders as if someone had set off a bomb in her hair. It billowed and flowed all around her before the wind died down, letting her hair settle on the ground behind her like an extremely long veil.

"I was told that people will be jealous of my hair that Makarov loved so much. So I give this," she held up the end of her braid, the part she had cut off with her magic, "to the wind so it can carry it to our loved ones and bless them all with Makarov's love." She released her hair and watched as it flew up over her head, into a blue sky that once watched over two amazing people she had loved.

Kotone's hair re-braided itself as she walked down from the top of the hill, letting others share their fond memories of the old master. Everyone cried, except Kotone.

* * *

><p>The next day they held a party for Kotone, celebrating the arrival of a new master of Fairy Tail. Everybody was laughing and goofing off, basically the Fairy Tail way. Kotone stood awkwardly on the bar, the same way Makarov always did when the guild was having a good time. Kotone was small enough to stand on the bar and still have people be taller than her. She was happy to see that there were only one or two people taller than her while she was on the bar. But Wendy was taller than her when they walked side by side.<p>

Zach strolled over and sat in one of the chairs at the bar, smiling at Kotone who had decided to sit down on the bar.

"So what did you have planned for me again? I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with the Wizard Council so close." He laughed at her expression of annoyance. He had asked her several times already that day.

"I know you are anxious, but how many times do you plan on asking before you get tired?" she asked, trying to regain her good mood by watching Natsu try to outsmart Levy.

"However many times it's going to take before you answer me!" he exclaimed, holding his drink up in the air, as if he was saluting his efforts.

"I keep telling you that in due time you will find out the answer. Besides, I knew every single member of the Wizard Council and I have dirt on all of them, including their staff, from the personal secretaries to the janitors. You are safer here than anywhere else." She sighed, poor Natsu's face was practically glued to the inside of a book. He shouldn't have argued with Levy about facts referring to history….

"You say that but I doubt that it's true."

She glared at the boy, "Are you suggesting that I'm lying?"

"Well look at it from my point of view," he said, placing his mug back on the table, "I spend my life toppling rotten nobles and learning to only trust the poor. How am I supposed to believe a recently appointed master of a guild? Not to mention the fact that you are one of those legendary dragon slayers! I mean, you are one important person, practically a noble!"

She felt herself flinch at the term dragon slayer, confusion in every atom of her being, "Dragon slayer? You think I'm a dragon slayer?"

"Well you said Acnologia was your Dad and you use dragon style magic. What else could you be?"

Kotone felt the world around her blur as her mind raced. Connecting dots, calculating possible outcomes, eliminating unlikely possibilities…

"Yo…Kotone…earth to Kotone?" Zach asked, waving his hand back forth in front of her face, getting no reaction. But her fell out of his chair when she suddenly stood up, eye wide with the deduction she came up with.

"HEY!" her magic carried to every ear in the guild, stopping everything. She looked around and saw that Natsu was arguing with Gajeel and Wendy, Erza, and Lucy were trying to calm them down. Kotone pointed at them, "You three don't say anything! Understood?"

The trio nodded, confused and bewildered.

Kotone glanced at the rest of the guild, looking at their faces, their calm, peaceful, beautiful faces. "What am I? What do you classify me as?"

She was met with a chorus of, "Master!"

She shook her head, motioning for them to stop with her hands, "No! I meant magic wise! Like how Gray is an ice mage and Lucy is a Celestial mage! What would you classify me as?"

Sensing the distress in her voice, they were hesitant to answer, but Lisanna stood up when she saw no one would answer what they all thought. "Aren't you a dragon slayer?"

Kotone froze. Her deduction was true. She didn't want to believe it, but this proved. "No. No, I'm not a dragon slayer."

The guild was silent, but there was the faintest rustling as people shared glances, trying to figure out who knew what was going on.

"So you mean to tell me that you guys accepted me as master without knowing who I am?" she asked quietly, feeling her stomach drop.

The entire guild was still silent, all except for the sounds of realization from the trio. Wendy gasped and immediately covered her mouth, her eyes showing how scared she felt. She didn't want Kotone to leave.

Kotone slowly lifted her hands to the clip that held her cloak in place. With an audible click, the cloak fell to the ground, revealing her human shoulders covered with dragon scales. She didn't stop there. She pulled off a glove and carefully pulled off the second glove, not wanting to rip it with her dragon hands.

Then she looked at her boots and kicked them off, revealing her dragon feet. She dragged her finger around her knees, cleanly cutting her pants legs off. She then unwound her scarf of braided hair to reveal her scaly jaw. She sighed, opening her mouth to show her dragon teeth.

"I'm not a dragon slayer. I was originally human, but now I am mostly dragon. I have to constantly use magic to keep this humanoid appearance and not change back into my dragon form," she said, waiting for their reactions.

After a few seconds of nothing, the entire guild sighed in unison. Kotone, shocked, nearly fell off the bar table.

"Great," Jet said sarcastically, "yet another dragon to add to the collection. Let's hope Natsu and the others don't run around chasing you all day."

Everyone else nodded in agreement before picking up where they left off.

"Wait, hold on a second!" Kotone exclaimed. Everyone paused yet again, watching their new master cock her head to the side in confusion. "You aren't scared that I'm really a dragon?"

Elfman stood up, "Being a dragon is manly!"

Lisanna giggled and said, "You're no more scary than Wendy over there!"

Everyone laughed, except Kotone. Kotone cried.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hello my Loyal Royal Readers! One more chapter! There's only one more! And I'm sorry I got this to you so late, I made it extra-long to make up for the late update! I even created Zach and his group! Actually Zach's old name was Leopold, Leo for short, but then I realized the idiocracy of that because Loke is Leo the lion…..So I renamed Leo after my bro because I wanted him to have a nick name. Then, because he is my bro, I had him argue with my little protagonist! Kotone is my first lovely creation! My baby!**

Kotone: I want to die after hearing you say that…

**Miu: You're alive! Everyone was leaving me alone for a while!**

Kotone: We got tired of talking to you.

**Miu: (T.T) Ok….. **

**Also I need to tell you all something! Kotone is going to be in another FF! Not another of my own, but I'm seriously thinking about it. Kotone is going to be in ****HiImNewHere's**** FF! I'm so excited to see her in it!**

**Summer is here and I'm going to restart my FF for Detective School Q. I'm really happy that I get to start that one again and after that one I'm going to write one for Soul Eater because I promised I would do that to a couple of friends of mine.**

**What else? I want to thank all of my betas. I had a few for this chapter because a few of my friends found it on my computer and…yeah…they decided to "help" me…Don't worry! I listened to their ideas and suggestions and watched them make alterations to my FF…I was on the verge of tears…But thank god I back up all of my stories. Because of this my FF managed to survive their butchering. **

**Now for REVIEWS!**

**Alice Harkey **My beautiful beta reader! I love your stories and I love how you don't butcher my chapters! I'm also sorry I gave you this monster of a chapter to beta! Gomenasai! But I love you all the more for putting up with it!

**HiImNewHere** At this point she is a dragon who can partially change into a human shape. Her hands, feet, skin, and eyes all remain dragon like on her human body. I hope that cleared it up. But it made me so happy to read how much you liked my story! I'm so proud of how my little Kotone has grown up! *sniff* Way too fast!

**Edward the Pure** The Athena of Fanfiction thanks you. *does a little happy dance* I'm glad I thoroughly shocked you! That just means that my plan worked! Mwa ha ha ha! You and HiImNewHere just keep predicting what I'm going to do next! I became worried that I was being too predictable! But referring to Makarov, SO FREAKING SAD. GOMENASAI MAKAROV! GOME! Makarov is one of my favorite characters so I was so upset when I killed him with the merciless strikes of my fingers to keyboard! Then as to Kotone's form, at this point she is a dragon who can partially change into a human shape. Her hands, feet, skin, and eyes all remain dragon like on her human body. I guess I didn't really clear that up last chapter…Sorry…

**GoldenRoseLuceTanya** Sorry for the late update! But seeing a new name in the reviews made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to review you wonderful person!

**TheOrangeNeko** Thank you so much! I always get a boost of confidence when I see I got a review but to be praised on top of it just makes me want to jump for joy and sing to the stars! Again, Sorry for the late update!

**Tsuki. Raven** Thank you so much you kind person! Again, I'm so very sorry for the late update!

_Gajeel: This entire A/N is filled with you saying sorry and thank you! It's pathetic!_

**Miu: Why is it only the mean ones decided to talk to me?**

Kotone: I'm not mean in the story!

**Miu: But you're mean in the A/Ns! Anyways, until next time my Royal Loyal Readers!**

_Gajeel: This isn't an anime!_


	23. Sleep Tight

Last time in Tears,

Kotone was about to finish off Acnologia but was interrupted by four dragons, Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeney, and Alice's mother, Rainada. Having so many things go wrong, Kotone became overwhelmed and she cracked. She withdrew into herself and tried to block out the world, despite the dragon's attempts to console her. Natsu and the other dragon slayers came to the rescue of the young dragon, bringing her out of the darkness. Finally under control, Kotone confronted the dragons who wanted her to come back with them to their council in order to keep the balance of dragons. Kotone refused to go, saying she had a guild to take care of. Kotone picked up a couple of "bandits" on the way, saying that she had a plan to help them. She held a memorial for Makarov and Kanon and there was a party held in the honor of the new master. Kotone, not wanting to hide anything from her guild, showed her guildlings that she was not a dragon slayer, but actually a dragon. She was expecting the worse, but her guild brushed it off as if it was something that happened at a daily basis, causing Kotone to cry tears of happiness.

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The sun was beaming like a child being presented an award for being the smartest kid in class. With the sun beaming so strongly, the people taking up the busy streets dragged themselves from place to place in the hot temperature. One of these sorry souls fixed his glasses as they reflected the sun's light, blinding an old lady, causing her to walk into a man carrying a bag of marbles, causing him to drop the bag as he steadied the lady, causing innocent bystanders to slip on the marbles, causing the marbles to fly up into the air and pop the balloons of a girl's balloon cart, causing a little boy to cry when his balloon popped, causing a frustrated mother to bribe him with ice cream.

The spark that lit this wild fire hurriedly scurried away and hid in a magic shop, hoping nobody saw. He watched as people slowly started fixing his problem, fixing his glasses to see the problem. A small cough behind him alerted him that he was not alone. He glanced over his shoulder after he calmed down at the surprise cough.

"Hello handsome! What can I get for ya?" a cute green haired girl asked from behind the counter. She leaned on the counter, her cupped hand supporting her head. She gave him a thousand watt smile, the kind that let her emerald eyes close in order to show off her pearly white teeth.

The teenage boy blushed, this being one of the few times a girl has ever talked to him, let alone complimented him. He wiped his sweaty palms on his baggy black shorts and prayed she didn't notice. He gripped the strap of his bag, trying to figure out if the green haired beauty would prefer the strap across his body like he had it or have the strap on the same shoulder the bag was on.

Apparently it didn't matter for she made her way around the counter and slid her hand onto his shoulder, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "What can I get for you?"

The boy gulped, breaking out in a sweat. He became stiff as he tried to back away, not use to physical contact. He shuffled away and hid behind a display, glancing at the door.

"Can I interest you in one of our mood readers?" she asked, gliding to his side with much grace.

"N-No thank you!" he stuttered. He scurried away and aimed for the door. The green haired girl intercepted and stood in front of the doors, slowly walking towards the teenage boy.

"They can be extremely useful in everyday life," she insisted, grinning up at the boy, flashing him a coy look from under her extremely long lashes.

The boy felt the counter hit his thighs, but the beauty was still coming at him. He pushed himself up onto the counter and tried to push himself even farther away as the girl placed her hands on either side of him, leaning in. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, but at this point he was willing to buy anything from her so he could get away.

"It's very cheap but extremely useful," she breathed, looking up at him.

"W-Well if you put it that way…" he began, his nervousness causing him to stutter again.

The store's doors slammed open and the teenager looked over the girl's shoulder. A boy maybe half his age walked in, followed by a girl that was smaller than the boy. The green haired girl hung her head for a moment before turning round with her thousand watt smile.

"Hello Romeo," she said sweetly, then looked at the little girl. Her smile immediately soured, "Hello brat."

The boy named Romeo frowned, fisting his hands. But the girl next to him seemed unaffected and placed a gloved hand on Romeo's fist, silently telling him to relax. Romeo took a deep breath before continuing, "We were on our way to the guild when we heard you harassing another victim Vanessa."

She scoffed, putting up an obvious act of being insulted. She opened her mouth a few times to say something before giving up and glaring at the girl who watched quietly. Vanessa stomped off to somewhere behind the counter, letting the teenage boy breathe.

"Thank you so much! How can I thank you?!" he asked, jumping nimbly off the counter.

Romeo smiled and said, "Actually you shouldn't thank me. K-chan here told me to intervene."

A tick mark appeared on the girl's brow but took a deep breath and let it go. She glanced at the glasses of the teenage boy and seemed to be smirking behind her braided hair that wrapped around her shoulders.

The teenage boy blushed with embarrassment, realizing she knew he was the cause of the catastrophe outside. He bowed deeply, "Thank you very much!"

Kotone resisted the urge to laugh at his awkwardness and nudged Romeo.

"So what are you doing in Magnolia?" Romeo asked, also resisting the urge to laugh.

The boy straightened and smiled, "I'm here to uncover the mystery of Fairy Tail!"

Romeo looked shocked, but the little girl nodded. Romeo looked between the two of them, "What mystery?"

"The mystery of Fairy Tail! They used to be known for their rowdy behavior but there is a rumor going around that there is something unusual about the guild. Some say that they secretly harbor criminals right under the Wizard Council's noses! Others say that their loud parties have suddenly stopped and that there are no more fights! Then, the most fascinating rumor in my opinion, is that the new master is a demon that knows dark magic and will turn Fairy Tail into a Dark Guild!" the boy exclaimed, pulling out his bag. He opened it to reveal the latest magic technology, a magic screen that could access thousands of books. Not to mention that it has fun games and helpful appliances such as a calculator and a note pad.

He held it up and they saw a picture of Fairy Tail next to a bunch of captions that varied in size. "This is my blog! My followers requested that I uncover the secrets of Fairy Tail for my blog and that's what I intend to do."

Romeo and Kotone looked at each other before both exploded with laughter, confusing the boy with glasses.

"What's your name?" Romeo asked after their brief blast of laughter, pulling himself together.

"Oh yeah! My name is Semyon!" he said.

"Nice to meet you Semyon, I'm Romeo and this is Kotone," he said, indicating the silver haired girl next to him. "Would you like us to escort you to Fairy Tail or do you want to spy on it secretly?"

"Oh no! I search for the truth so I couldn't possibly get it by using such dirty methods!" Semyon exclaimed, putting his magic screen away. "I'd rather interview the master or a couple of the members!"

Romeo and Kotone nodded, motioning for Semyon to follow them. They left the store and Semyon was taken aback at how everything outside seemed completely normal. The marbles were gone and there wasn't a sign that anything was ever off. Semyon paused to examine the scene, or lack of, and realized that Romeo and Kotone were walking ahead.

He scrambled to catch up and listened as Romeo seemed to carry on his own conversation.

"It's really helpful! You should try to convince Natsu to use that technique! He of all people needs a way to calm himself down from time to time. Him and Gray. Maybe even Gajeel. But taking a deep breath makes you think about it for a moment and relaxes you, even if it is only for a split second!" Romeo kept talking as they walked down the streets. Occasionally people would say hello and the two kids would wave back.

_They must be well connected to be known by this many people_…Semyon thought, watching as a group of people stopped and pointed at them excitedly.

They walked up to two huge doors and paused. Romeo glanced back at Semyon and a wicked grin played on the boy's lips, "Ready Semyon?"

Semyon looked at the doors, silence greeted his ears. "It seems that there are no more fights or parties now! One of the rumors is true!"

Romeo chuckled darkly, "Okay then…"

Kotone took a few steps back as the doors flew open. Yelling and screaming slammed into their ears almost painfully. Semyon covered his ears and watched as fire and ice flew around the room. Metal flashed and there were bursts of light as guns were fired. Tables broke and the cracking of wood could be heard every three seconds.

Suddenly everything went quiet and Semyon removed his hands from his ears, watching as the fight slowly died down. People were still in the middle of fighting, but they had stopped. Fists were clasped on other's shirts and chairs were held above heads, ready to be thrown.

Romeo walked inside, hands on hips, "We have a guest!"

Chairs were put back on the ground and people smoothed out their shirts. Kotone walked inside and there was a shuffling of feet as people rushed to the doors.

"The Master is back!" they exclaimed, all running forward.

Kotone jumped into the air, doing a fancy flip just to show off. Her descent was in slow motion as the air under her appeared to be a heat wave, the image blurring slightly. She landed on the bar without making a noise, her braided hair coming off her shoulders and piling on the bar. "AYYYYYE!" she exclaimed in her naturally high pitched voice that young girls have.

The entire guild waited, what was the news she was bringing? Would it be good? Would it be bad?!

"They have decided!" she said, lifting her arms into the air. "Looks like they're planning on killing me!"

The guild erupted in an uproar, but it died to a low murmur even though everyone looked as if they were yelling on the top of their lungs.

Kotone lifted a hand and Semyon, whose jaw had dropped at the knowledge that the little girl was the new master, flew over the mass of guild members and joined her in standing on the bar. He wobbled a little at first but gained his balance in time to watch the doors close seemingly on their own. Kotone smiled up at him, careful to not show her dragon teeth. She wasn't used to showing her scaly skin to outsiders, but she knew by his reaction that he wouldn't be an outsider for long.

"As Romeo said!" she exclaimed, causing her guild to quiet down. "We have a guest! This is Semyon! He wants to interview us about the mysterious rumors that have been going around! Those of us who have left Magnolia recently have heard them and Semyon here wants to let the world know the truth!"

She hopped off the bar and onto a huge chair that was obviously only meant for the master. The chair was huge. The stairs on either side of the guild led to the level that few were allowed to walk on. Into that level, the chair was built. The legs of the chair were nonexistent as the seat protruded from the level and hung over the ground level. The back of the chair was huge and covered the S-Class mission board from the ground level. The padding of the chair was a royal blue while the frame was silver just like Kotone's hair.

She lounged on the chair, her personality completely different from when she was outside the guild. Her legs dangled in the air as she leaned onto the armrest, cupping her hand to hold up her head. A smirk was placed upon her face and her eyes narrowed when she looked at a window.

"Oh I'm so sorry Semyon. Please wait one moment and I'll get back to you," she said, lifting her head and waved her hand at a window. It opened with a snap and the guild members rushed into action, pushing broken chairs and tables out of the way. They cleaned any scorch marks or puddles of water and hid signs of slashes in the wooden support poles.

Semyon looked around, astonished that such a noisy guild would be cleaning and without even a word from the master. They laid out a futon under the window and Kotone waved her hand at a door behind the bar, making it open.

There were a few thuds as the futon absorbed the fall of…what Semyon could tell, was nothing. But then five guys appeared out of thin air and darted into the room behind the bar. Romeo ran over and rolled up the futon, running into some room out of Semyon's sight. Kotone lifted her hand and the window and door behind the bar closed. There was a small clicking sound as the heard the lock click into place.

"So Semyon, as I was saying, how would you like to interview first? Oh don't answer that, we have another visitor," she said, her hair wrapping around her shoulders, forming her scarf of hair. Her braid still hung over the edge of the throne and was dangling a little ways past her boot covered feet.

Suddenly the front doors swung open and in marched soldiers, around 15 of them. One of them wasn't wearing a helmet, a sign that he was in charge.

And sure enough, he was the one that spoke, "Master Kotone…"

"Commander Yuki, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here today?" she asked formally.

Yuki walked a few more steps in her direction, glancing around the room before indicating to his men to start looking around. "It seems that we have yet another case has led us to your guild Master Kotone."

"I'm very sorry, but I don't know what to tell you. As we both know, you are forbidden to search this guild without a Wizard's grant," she said, not taking her eyes away from Yuki. Though she didn't look at them, every officer of the law suddenly felt her watchful gaze and looked over their shoulders to make sure.

"You are certainly right Master Kotone, but for some odd reason, they never approve. You always seem to have a bubble of safety when it comes to government, Master Kotone," he said, looking up at her with a glare that could freeze fire.

Kotone cocked her head to the side, seeming to smirk under that scarf of hair. "My, my Commander Yuki, your glare could put Acnologia's to shame. Unfortunately," she said, dropping slowly from her chair and hovered until she was eye to eye with Yuki and less than a hand width apart, "we both know you are scared of me."

Yuki stepped back with a jolt, only confirming her statement. He growled at her and started to leave, but her words stopped him.

"Commander Yuki, I suggest next time you knock and I might be kind enough to let you in. Right now you and your men can be dishonorably discharged for illegally searching our guild. I have witnesses and right about now I bet there is a crowd of people outside who want to know what is going on. I didn't want to resort to this but I'm going to talk to your commanding Wizard about this. I'm not going to press charges this time, but if this ever happens again I have the authority to defend my guild. I'm not sure if you know about my magic Commander but I will tell you that there is little that I cannot do with it at this point." As if to prove her point she floated back to her chair, sat down, and crossed her legs. "Get out of here. I sincerely hope we don't meet under unfortunate circumstances again."

Yuki ground his teeth and the knuckles popped in his hands as he fisted them before he stormed out, his men hurrying after him. The door closed and all was silent. Kotone watched the door for a few seconds before she stood up and floated down to the floor. The doors swung open to reveal the commander and his men pressing their ears to the door. They toppled over each other into the guild. They slowly looked up into the amber eyes of a girl with anger in every fiber of her being.

"You're really pushing it this time Commander. I'm going to talk to General Kiba. Today. Commander… Get. Out. Now," she almost growled, glaring down at the pathetic fools.

The commander saw those eyes before and he jumped up and ran, leaving his men behind. The men were frozen, meeting her fiery gaze for the first time. She walked over to them and crouched down, her eyes softening. She patted each one on the head with her gloved hand before smiling at them from behind her scarf, but they knew that she was smiling by the way her eyes looked at them.

"I have a request. Would one of you like to help me?" she asked in the sweetest of voices.

They all sat up saying that they would be extremely happy to help her. She thanked them and said that all of them could help her if they wanted to.

"I need someone to go to General Kiba and tell him that I need to see him today. And I need someone stubborn to tell him that it has to be today and not back down when he says he'll visit later. And then once you come back and tell me when he is coming over, I'll have a special treat for all of you. Okay?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes Ma'am!" they chorused and rushed off to do her bidding.

Kotone walked back, the doors closing behind her. Immediately the entire guild broke out in laughter, including Kotone. She wiped her eyes when she found she was laughing so hard that tears had formed.

"Did you see Kuki's face when Master floated down?!" Gray exclaimed.

"Did you see Kuki's face when she opened the doors on them?!" Natsu exclaimed.

The guild went on and on about how Kuki's latest visit was the best of them all. They were laughing and toasting to each other and how well Kotone could play Kuki and his gang.

Kotone, noticing Semyon still standing on the bar, floated down to him and sat down. She looked up at him and patted the spot next to her, signaling him to sit down.

He hesitantly sat down, unknowingly letting Kotone get a good look at him. He's goofy, awkward, cautious, safe, kind, fair, curious, and her deduction was complete. There was more than what meets the eye with this one.

His black baggy shorts were held up by a metal chain belt. His baggy orange shirt had fancy black swirls and on his wrist was a black and white checkered sweat band. He had square black glasses that flattered his golden eyes and white hair, both very similar to Kotone's.

Kotone lifted her braid up to his head, making Semyon watch nervously. He saw her float around as if it was nothing, she might even be a demon!

Kotone pulled her hair away saying, "Your hair is a few shades whiter than mine. And your eyes are a really light brown color, not golden like I thought when I first saw you. This is a good sign because if your hair and eyes matched I would kill you on the spot."

Semyon paled and felt his insides freeze with fear. Kotone smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "I'm only joking, Sweetie. But if they did match I would attack you just to make sure."

Semyon gulped, not being reassured in the least. "There is a good reason I would react that way Semyon, but I hope you never see anyone else with my eyes in your life time. Now, back to business…Who do you want to interview first?" Kotone asked, indicating to the crowd of partying people.

Semyon, thankful to be able to look away from the guild master without being rude, looked around the busy room. Everyone was all smiles and goofing off. It seemed one rumor was false.

"I w-would like to interview you f-first if you don't mind," he stuttered, nervous of the master.

Kotone smiled at him, her hair dragging on the floor, "Very well. If you don't mind, I would like to go somewhere a little quieter." She stood up and hopped off the counter, walking over to a staircase. Semyon hesitantly followed her, not liking the idea of being alone with someone so obviously dangerous.

They walked up the stairs, everyone else so busy that they didn't even notice. Semyon watched as Kotone led him up to the S-class level where there were a few people talking amongst themselves. When they saw Kotone _walking_ up they went silent.

"Oh no, what now? Last time you walked up, you said you were leaving to meet with…" the voice faded as Semyon walked up behind Kotone.

Semyon suddenly felt even more awkward than before as he realized who was hanging out on the upper level. He froze before he placed his foot on the last step. For a second, he contemplated jumping out the window next to the stairs or daring the massive crowd below. He didn't have a chance to act because Kotone pulled him the rest of the way up and sat him down on the master's throne.

Semyon resisted at first, afraid he would fall off or become a target for sitting in such a symbolic spot. After a few seconds of nobody caring, Semyon relaxed and finally realize why it was the first place Kotone went after entering the guild. Why she undoubtedly always sat in that chair. Why it was decorated to elaborately that anyone would want to sit in it. It was the best seat in the house.

He was awed at the view. He felt his mouth open as he looked down at the members of Fairy Tail below him. He could see every single one of their smiles from the throne and he felt himself smiling in response.

Kotone saw his eyes starting to sparkle and she knew she was right in her deduction. She tapped him on the shoulder before pointing up and straight ahead. Semyon followed her finger with his eyes and felt his heart expand in his chest. He could have sworn that he fell in love with the view. The windows were bigger than the ones on the ground floor. Much, much bigger.

The windows showed the roofs of all the buildings in sight like a sea of stones. Then, past the roofs, were hills. The hills were covered with beautiful blooming flowers. There wasn't even a speck of grass the flowers were so packed. Reds, oranges, yellows, blues, purples, blacks, whites, pinks, and more. Semyon was enchanted.

Kotone watched as Semyon's eyes started to water. Yes. She knew he was a gem. She knew he was extremely special, special to her at least. She placed her hands on his temples and said, "Do you like the view?"

"I don't know how to describe how I feel right now. I can't find the words to describe it," he whispered, eyes glued to the magnificent view.

Kotone took a deep breath and said, "Then let me show you what I see…"

Semyon blinked and watched the hills closely. He rubbed his eyes in confusion as all the colors faded into yellow and the seat below him disappeared. He looked below him to see that the yellow color enveloping him. He was floating in a yellow world but he strangely felt safe. Then a white light could be seen and he turned to face it. It rushed towards him, enveloping him in a white light before fading into a green hill. He stood on top of it confused as to how he got there but it felt right. He was there for a reason and he wanted to find out.

He heard a faint river slapping the bank and strolled over to check it out. As he walked down the hill, he stopped and looked down at his feet. He was surprised to see mustards covering the entire hill. He knelt down and brought a hand to the mustards, tempted to pick a few of them. He leaned over and smelled the yellow flower and was satisfied when all he smelt was the grass and dirt. They were healthy and odorless for the moment.

He heard a splash coming from where the river was and a small yelp. He jumped to his feet and ran down the hill, coming to a ring of trees. He pushed his way around the tall pines and nearly fell into the river. The ground suddenly fell and the river was wide and deep. There were rocks that stuck out of the water every once in a while.

Semyon stuck his hand into the water and felt the water pull his hand slightly. He hissed as the cold got to him and he ripped his hand out of the water.

_Not good_, he thought. If the water pulled his hand at the top of the river, he didn't want to know how bad the pull was at the bottom.

He stood up and looked for the cause of the splash. The other side of the bank had a gradual rise, unlike the side he was on which dropped suddenly. The trees were farther back away from the river on the other side, but there was a row of bushes in their place.

He scanned the bank and saw what he was hoping to see, a trail of water leading into the bushes. He released his breath that he didn't know he was holding. Who ever created the splash had got out and wasn't stuck in the river. The person was safe, but they might be freezing.

"Hello?" Semyon called, listening for a reply. Everything was silent. He could only hear the splashing of the river, nothing else.

Something was over there. Even Semyon running down the hill wouldn't scare away the birds for that long and he knew this. But for how to get across, he was dumbfounded. He wasn't going to swim. He wasn't going to jump from rock to rock, due to how small and slippery they would be. The trees behind him didn't reach across the river so he couldn't scale them. He didn't have time to build a raft…but, it wasn't wide enough that it was impossible for him to jump it.

He shook his head at the thought, realizing he was pushing his limits. He would only make it on his best day and he might be short even then. He looked around for any sticks he might be able to use to help him get across, but no such luck. He scanned the river for any rocks that were fairly large and close to his side. He wanted to leap for joy because a little ways up the river there was a fat rock with his name on it.

He ran over to where the rock was and felt like singing. He would definitely make it and sure enough, he did.

He couldn't believe he made a big deal about just getting across. But it was just something he did whenever there was an obstacle in front of him.

He ran back to where the trail of water began and slowly pulled the bushes away, not wanting to scare the wet person. He looked around the bush, "Hello?" No one was there. But the trail of water continued.

Semyon followed the path, hoping that whoever was on the other end of it was safe and fine.

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Kotone took her hands off of Semyon's head, watching with much satisfaction as he slept. He would wander around the mustards and maybe even visit the river before he woke up from the Dreams.

That was the name the guild gave that unique ability. Few of them have experienced it and since Natsu and the others were the first to experience it, they called it the Dreams because it always felt like they were waking up from very vivid dreams.

Kotone turned from the laughing, partying members below and rounded on the three kids lounging on a restricted level.

"Why are you up here and not down stairs? Actually, why are you even here if you don't plan on joining?" Kotone asked, making them all look away guiltily.

The one who spoke when Kotone walked up the stairs huffed before saying, "Well why not? My group of fans has been expanding ever since I was seen walking with you when we came back from Acnologia's."

Kotone sighed, "Alice, this is ridiculous. We both know that is a lame excuse and that Chi-chan sent you guys to look after me."

"If you knew then why did you ask?" a purple haired girl asked before grimacing from the killer head ache she was getting.

"Anzu, you really shouldn't have come. I told you that Fairy Tail would not only be loud verbally but mentally as well? Especially since the bonds here are extremely strong," her younger brother said, crossing his arms.

"You know, Erza really wants you to join the guild so she can have a match with you. If you aren't a part of the guild it will be twisted into a cover story of how Fairy Tail abuses its citizens," Kotone teased.

"Huh, you are already assuming that she will win," Daniel grinned.

"You know better than to doubt me. I'm just letting you know that you need to learn how to use your magic better. So far you tend to rely on your martial arts, not so much as your magic. Erza has been using her magic since before she was Romeo's age and her fighting skills without magic are pretty impressive. You need to learn to combine them in order to beat Erza," Kotone said as she sat down on a stool.

"Uh, I know this is a random subject change, but why was everyone going on about someone called Kuki?" Alice asked, trying to hide how curious she was.

"Ah Kuki…That's the nick name Commander Yuki has earned here because he acts a little…senseless when he gets frustrated. He tends to get frustrated every time he sees me," Kotone said crossing her legs. In the back of her mind, she watched Semyon kneel down and examine the mustards.

She sat up and jumped off the second floor, landing softly on the bar before turning to sweet Mirajane. Mirajane smiled her usual smile at the master and asked how she could be of service. Kotone requested a baker's dozen of lemon bars and Mirajane pulled out a neat little tray of them already prepared.

"Sorry but I already took the liberty to make them since they are your usual award," Mirajane said, placing her hand to her cheek.

Kotone kissed her on the forehead before she headed to the doors. There were two knocks and Kotone opened the door, lemon bars in hand.

The Wizard soldiers practically drooled at the sight of the lemony goodness, but when a slight wind came and brought the smell to their noses, they were on their knees, ready to report their news.

"Master Kotone! The Wizard General Kiba says he will meet with you tonight at around 9!" they said in unison.

Kotone smiled her motherly smile before thanking them and placing a lemon bar into each of their hands. She thanked them and waved them good bye as she closed the door. Immediately the tray was taken out of her hands as hungry Natsu tried to gobble down the rest of them. Sure enough, Gray demanded he get his own share of the lemon bars and ripped the tray out of Natsu's hands, knocking over a chair. Erza saw the chair fall and was soon confiscating the lemon bars to secretly eat with Lucy and Wendy.

Kotone walked behind the bar, listening to Gray complain about Natsu being the only one who got lemon bars. She unlocked the door and opened it to see Zach and his gang playing Go Fish on her table.

"Foxy!" he exclaimed, for the name had stuck.

"Zach, you have to stop making it so obvious that you are coming here when you make your escape! How on earth did you manage to survive without this safe house?!" she exclaimed, walking away from the door.

"Aw come on Foxy! I'm doing the best I can to just break in to the Coin gobblers' houses!" Zach complained, dragging his feet to sit down at the bar. He leaned over to Cana, "Can you believe this girl? She constantly complains about how I do things and then trains me day and night for a week before letting me do my work! When I finally do something she complains about how I'm doing it!"

Cana nodded her head, "Yeah, she's just like Makarov in that sense." Cana lifted her barrel and took a hearty swig as if to punctuate her sentence.

"Where do you think Makarov got it from Cana? I raised the boy so it would make sense if he picked up a few of my habits," Kotone grumbled as she hopped onto the bar.

Zach sighed, telling Mirajane he wanted his usual, "Well I must admit that Foxy's training got me out of a few sticky situations in this day's heist."

"That's because you wanted to target big nobles this time and the nobles you want have tight security." Kotone drank her lemonade and sighed as it cooled her down. Being in the hot sun while wearing black was not a bright idea, but she didn't have a wide variety of clothes.

Cana finally put down her barrel and eyed the lemonade, "You know you can drink right? You're what? 1000 years old now?"

"No I think I'm 674…maybe…but I don't like alcohol. The stuff smells rancid and tastes worse."

Cana shrugged and lifted her barrel again, dismissing the subject.

Zach on the other hand wasn't finished, "What do you mean you don't like it? Actually, since you are a kid, you shouldn't be allowed to drink." He snickered at the glare she shot him.

Kotone, tired of having to deal with Commander Yuki, stood up and told him to enjoy the rest of the day. For tomorrow they were going to be in a world of pain as she drilled them on escaping techniques. They obviously didn't understand something that she told them and she was going to make sure they knew what to do in order to suddenly appear, attack, and disappear just as quickly as they came. Maybe they were disappearing just as fast, but they were leaving an obvious trail, which confused her because their specialty was concealing and running.

She glanced into her office behind the bar and watched Zach's men play with her cards. They all seemed pretty into it, but she knew better. A couple looked up and met her eyes before looking back at their cards, glancing at other players.

"I have something to do Zach, but I promise that tomorrow will not be your favorite day," she murmured, looking him in the eye.

He gulped, not liking the look she was giving him. Kotone nodded her head, knowing that he realized something worse than training was going to happen. She hopped off the counter, debating how she was going to handle the situation.

One of Zach's men was a double agent. When she first met them, she knew all of them were extremely loyal. So something has changed. Maybe the double agent has a friend or family that was taken hostage. Maybe he was bought off. Whatever it was, Kotone knew which one it was and Zach and the rest of his guys had a feeling already to who it is.

They all glanced at Samuel. Samuel was the double agent and he proved it by how he was sitting there, tapping his fingers against the table. He only does that when he's nervous.

So the question was if she should expose him to the others or personally confront him and take care of him before the other's suspicions could be confirmed. If she exposed him she would be required to show hard evidence in order to convince the others and she would cause emotions and trust to be in turmoil. If she confronted him privately, she would find out why he was betraying them and maybe she could help him. If not, she could quietly…_deal_ with him.

She jumped back up onto the second level, deciding that confronting Samuel would be the easiest course of action. She walked back over to Alice and Daniel. Anzu had left when she was talking to Zach.

"Your poor sister," she said to Daniel, "it's a shame she has to get headaches when she's here. Maybe I can get one of my friends at another guild to help her with that." She frowned and her eyebrows knit together before Daniel could answer. In the back of her head, she saw Semyon hop over the river. He was supposed to stay with the mustards. Something was wrong.

"Daniel, Alice, can you make a spot for Semyon on the couch over there?" Kotone asked, walking over to sleeping Semyon. Alice complained as she stood up and sat down on a chair, watching as Daniel rearranged the pillows in a way that would be comfortable for Semyon.

Kotone lifted her hand and Semyon floated off the chair. She brought him over to the couch and laid him down, taking off his glasses. His eyes opened, but they were glazed over, still in the Dreams. "This can't be happening…" she murmured, looking into his eyes. "Back up. I need to wake him up before he does any more damage."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Semyon followed the trail of water, hearing a quiet whimpering sound as he walked on. The trail was messy, a sign that whoever was on the other end was stumbling around. He looked closer and saw that the gaps between pools of water were getting bigger. The person started running and that wasn't good. The person was stumbling around and that meant they were either exhausted or injured. He prayed the person was just exhausted.

He came to a stop. So did the trail of water.

"Why are they going to such great lengths to get away?" he murmured to himself. He glanced around, spotting a few bushes nearby. He brushed his hand over it, feeling the wet leaves. He ran his hand over the bushes as he walked along them, following the wet trail. He lifted his hand as he saw the end of the row of bushes. He walked to the end, seeing the trail stop. He slowly bent down and pulled the bush out of the way, almost gasping at the sight in front of him.

A small girl, maybe 5 years old, sat there and lifted her arms up to defend her head. She had tucked her head behind her bent knees and was shaking so badly that Semyon thought she would fall apart. She looked close to it already.

Her arms and legs were bruised and swollen. He could see many cuts all over her and her abnormally pale body made him believe that she did fall into the water but managed to get out.

He took in a shaky breath, not sure where to start. But the little girl mumbled something, causing him to stop and listen. "I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked softly, watching as she flinched at his voice.

"I-I-I-m n-not g-g-go-goin-ng t-t-t-to h-h-hurt a-an-anyone. I-I-I w-w-will l-l-leave i-i-im-immediately," she murmured through her chattering teeth.

Semyon was taken aback by her statement. He didn't know why she said it or what she meant exactly. "Well," he said, "I'm sure you don't want to hurt anyone. But you aren't allowed to leave until I look at those cuts. Okay?"

He watched as she lowered her arms slowly and they shook violently as she lifted her head. She whispered okay, but she sounded doubtful.

Semyon looked at her eyes, or rather bandages. They were dirty old rags that couldn't even be considered bandages and he looked in his bag and pulled out his roll of bandages. He asked if it would be okay to touch her and she hesitantly nodded. He placed his hand on head her and jerked back as she flinched. She felt like ice.

He took off his bag and pulled off his shirt. Her soggy rag of a dress was soaked and he told her to change into his shirt, it being long enough to reach her calves.

She quickly changed behind the bushes as Semyon turned around and tried to find his balm in his bag. It was a special type of balm that would stop minor cut from bleeding and help all wounds heal faster. It was especially nice for burns since it relieved pain and would heal it before it started to blister.

The came out from behind the trees and Semyon brought out his roll of bandages. "Okay, What I'm first going to do is replace those bandages with clean ones." He easily slipped the bandages off her head and she squeezed her eyes shut, not being able to react fast enough to stop him with her frozen arms.

"Here, can you hold this for a moment?" he asked as he held the end of the bandage to her head. The girl shakily held it there as Semyon quickly wrapped the bandages around to secure the end she held. She waited as he finished wrapping her eyes, even though he couldn't see anything wrong with them or her head.

She visibly relaxed once he finished, telling her how to easily take it off. All she had to do was pull the little tuff of bandage sticking out and the entire thing would come unraveled. He smiled to see her shivering had practically stopped. He walked over to his bag and nearly fell on it, suddenly off balance. He sat down as he waited for his head to stop spinning. After a few seconds, he felt better and continued searching his bag for the balm.

He felt a small cold hand touch his shoulder and he stopped, looking up at the little girl, her silver hair braided in a familiar way. She placed her other hand on his arm and was quiet. He watched as she flipped over her hand and held the back of it to his skin.

"A little cold?" he asked, watching as she flipped over her other hand. She nodded her head and he said, "Well then you should sit down and keep your legs close to your body. You could also give me your hands for a second and I can give you a small lacrima that is designed to keep you warm."

She stuck out her hands and plopped down suddenly, bringing her knees to her chest. Semyon chuckled and placed the little sapphire ball into her hands, smiling when she gasped and hugged it.

He finally found the balm and twisted off the cap. The girl twitched at the sound and sniffed the air. She smelt the herbal remedy and held out an arm.

Semyon rubbed the balm on the cuts, the bruises, and the scrapes. He breathed with relief when he saw the swelling go down. He took care of her other arm and started on her legs, thankful that her legs weren't too badly cut up. The balm healed bruises faster than cuts, meaning she would be able to walk without pain within an hour.

"So how did you get so beat up? Surely not all of this was from the river," he said, finishing up the last bruise on her ankle.

The girl frowned at the question, still clutching the lacrima. She ripped her foot from Semyon and stood up, looking around. She seemed confused, not used to her restricted senses. She whirled around and they saw a small crowd of people marching towards them, rocks and torches in hand.

"There it is!" one yelled, causing all of them to roar in response. The leader walked forward a little ways ahead of the rest and he yelled, "Boy, get away from that demon!"

Semyon raised his eyebrows and looked around. What demon?

"Run boy, run!"

Semyon collected his bag and grabbed the girl's hand, "Come on. Let's get out of the way. They seem dead set on marching this way."

"Don't touch the demon! She will curse you and ruin your life!"

He hadn't heard that accent before and took a good look at the man, at the crowd. They were all farmers wearing old style clothing. He could tell by the dull colors and bad shape the clothes were in.

"What demon?" he asked, pulling the girl behind him.

"That demon disguised as a little girl!"

He glanced at the stones in their hands and felt a spark in his stomach that light a fire. "Those rocks," he said nervously, afraid of the answer, "were you trying to stone her?"

"Get away from the demon boy or we'll be forced to take action!"

Semyon clenched his jaw, and squeezed the girl's hand gently, "We'll leave and you'll ever see either of us again."

"So it can plague other villages?! You must be out of your mind!"

Semyon felt the little hand in his pull away and he saw her run in front of him and hold her arms out, "I won't let you hurt him!"

"He must be in league with the demon!"

With that the girl pushed Semyon towards the river before turning around and pulling the tuff of bandage he said would unravel the whole thing. Semyon saw a flash of angry amber eyes and recognized the girl immediately. He reached out for her but she exploded with white light and it enveloped her. The white light blinded him until all he could see was white. He blinked and saw two amber gems looking through his eyes into his soul before his vision blacked out.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Daniel and Alice glanced at each other before taking several steps back. They hadn't seen Kotone pull someone out of the Dreams before. They thought it was impossible, but it appeared they were wrong.

Kotone hastily ripped off a glove in one fluid motion and revealed her scaly dragon hand and arm. The scales receded and feathers sprouted out of the side of her arm. She tapped Semyon's forehead once with a claw and leaned over to examine his eyes. The glazed look slowly disappeared and his eyes started to dilate. She brought her gloved hand up and ran it down her feathers, watching as his eyes closed again.

She pulled away and looked at the ceiling, watching a replay of the last couple of minutes of Semyon's Dreams. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, extremely upset that he had got across the river. He wasn't even supposed to be able to hear the river…

"Kotone?" Wendy asked, hesitant to walk up the stairs.

Kotone hopped down to the ground floor, pulling her glove back on and hiding her expression with her scarf of hair. She looked at Wendy, who took it as an invitation to ask her question.

"Are you alright? I heard a frequency that sounded very familiar to the kind you like to use," she explained, searching for a sign of relief.

"Everything is fine Wendy. Semyon just over stepped his boundaries a little. I'll handle it," Kotone said, smiling with her eyes.

Wendy smiled in response, going over to Natsu and Gajeel, the only other people who could hear and recognize Kotone's magic at work.

Kotone walked over to Elfman, the biggest man in the guild, "Elfman, could you help me with something manly?"

"Helping others is manly!" he said, nodding his head.

Kotone smiled and brought him upstairs, indicating to Semyon, fast asleep. "I need you to help me carry him out of Magnolia."

He lifted Semyon over his should and they walked out the doors.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Kotone was sitting on her throne, watching as yet another brawl broke out. This time it was Droy's fault for arguing with Jet and accidentally punching Natsu, of all people, instead of Jet.

Kotone sighed, watching as swords got stuck in pillars and ice covered the floor. When Jet tried to use a chair to hit Droy, Kotone intervened and lifted all the chairs and tables off the ground. She had them levitate in the air as they fought, ignoring cries for help and angry roars.

She heard familiar footsteps leaving the Wizard Council's tower and looked at the clock, 8:55.

She whistled, grabbing their attention, "General Kiba is coming in five minutes." With that she placed the chairs and tables back on the ground. There was some grumbling about how a few people would get their revenge on a later day.

Kotone hopped down and closed the door to her office after ushering Zach and his men in. She locked the door behind them, listening to the footsteps drawing closer. Kotone walked to the door, opening it just as he was about to knock.

"Hello K-chan!" General Kiba said, opening his arms wide.

Kotone smacked him in the chest, "Stop calling me that! I'm not your babysitter anymore Kiba."

"But I've always called you K-chan!" he argued, walking inside. He glanced at Romeo out of the corner of her eye, who gave him a thumbs up. Kiba gave him two thumbs up, approval written all over his face. His nick name for the dragon would live on! She would constantly be reminded of the name she went by as a babysitter. Now she takes care of Romeo so it only made sense that he would his successor.

Kotone sighed, watching their obvious exchange. She walked up to Kiba and reached up. He didn't see her, his eyes on Romeo. He yelped as she grabbed his ear and pulled him into a room next to her office. This room was sound proof so she could let her ears relax and make sure nobody listens to her conversations. She closed the door behind her, causing goofy Kiba to become deadly serious.

The room was white. White walls, white floor, white ceilings…the only colors in the room were four chairs and one table and they were wooden.

Kotone sat down in one of the chairs, quiet as Kiba did the same. They sat there, silent as Kotone relaxed in the silent room. Kiba recalled that every time he entered the room they would sit there in silence for the first five minutes. He also remembered when she babysat him; she would always be sitting there like a stone when he woke up from a nap. It was only when she realized he was awake that she would smile and start moving again.

She only babysat him when his parents went away for business. They weren't rich enough to hire someone to look after him and even though they would only be gone for the afternoon, they felt terrible about it. Kiba didn't know that Kotone wasn't hired though. He thought that was just how it worked. He was little and believed Kotone was his dragon god mother since she always knocked at the door with that pretty smile on her face, telling him that she was there to look after him. She told him that she would only come if his parents didn't know about her, so he never told them about his dragon sitter.

Kotone convinced him that all dragons looked after kids from time to time, but he never believed that she was really a dragon. She just told him she was a dragon and she had to bind her eyes to make sure nobody saw her dragon form. It wasn't until he was older when he started questioning about it.

It was then that she stopped coming when his parents left.

The next time he saw her, she was walking into Magnolia. The entire guild followed her minus Makarov. Everyone came out of their houses to see that.

He went to her as soon as he could to apologize for doubting her, but was confused as to how she was still human without the bandages. She told him she left to train and explained. He listened. They caught up. She got another pair of eyes in high places.

"So," she said, opening her eyes, "where do you want to start?"

"What's the status with the Dragon Council?" he asked bluntly. That's how they were. Exchange the knowledge first and then discuss.

"Acnologia died and now I'm the seventh dragon by default. They plan on sending someone to kill me though because I refuse to go to the council and meet with the Dragon King."

"Why don't you want to meet him?"

"Once I'm there they won't let me leave for a couple of centuries."

"Why did Yuki come running to me today?"

"He charged into my guild and started searching without a Wizard Grant so I threatened him with a challenge and having him discharged."

Kiba laughed at that, "Knowing you, he was probably scared out of his mind!"

"I don't joke when it comes to my guild Kiba. If he ever enters my guild without a grant again, he might not leave in one piece."

"Which is completely fair. He's been getting cocky lately. I'm glad you knocked some sense into him."

"You and I both Kiba."

"Now as for the Dragon King, is there a way to see him without staying for a century or two?"

"Yes, but I doubt he will want to use that option. He wants to see me face to face."

"I see. But if they need seven dragons at a time, why would they kill you?"

"They are threatening but honestly I think they just plan on kidnapping me."

"Kotone you are just one desirable person now-a days…"

"I seem to attract trouble. That is for sure. I meet people who want to know everything about me on a regular basis. Maybe I should just mimic Makarov and act like a drunken idiot. Nobody wants to hang out with a drunken idiot every day."

Kiba chuckled, "It's because you seemed to know everything about them the second you meet them. Not to mention you have that air of mystery and secrets around you all the time."

"I may seem like I can take on the world and I may seem like I'm a wise old sage but to be honest I don't know half of what I appear to know."

"I know K-chan. I know."

"And you know what? Every day is a variation of the same things! A brawl, party, Yuki, random curious stranger, babysitting Romeo, and more brawls. Kiba, I think I need to hibernate."

"Hibernate? I thought only old dragons did that!"

"Normal dragons don't take care of a rowdy guild and walk the busy streets of Magnolia while using magic to suppress their magic."

"Well that is certainly true."

"At this moment I can't hibernate until I find a suitable replacement. I doubt that's going to happen in one or two years. Hibernation isn't even really an option in this town. Everyone is so loud and with my sensitive hearing, I won't be able to sleep through a brawl."

"This is also true."

"I feel like I call you here each time to complain about my life."

"You do."

"Sorry."

"You can make up for it by calling me by the old nick name you gave me."

"Sorry K-kun."

"I miss that name. Everyone calls me General now."

"Well because of you and Zachary I have several nick names."

"Zachary?"

"An acquaintance."

"Zachary as in Zachary Gresson? Wizard's most wanted?!"

"Zachary."

"Why are you friends with that guy?"

"He's only on that list because he goes after corrupt nobles and you know it."

"Yes, but how did you even meet him?!"

"Long story short, he was following me and I caught him."

"Just more proof that you attract trouble."

"I kind of came to him after he followed me. I wanted to help him."

"Why am I finding out about this now?"

"You never asked and I didn't feel like telling you. With you being the head of the Wizard Council's army, I didn't want you to know."

"You didn't trust me?"

"I'm telling you now and you know that speaks volumes."

"You only brought it up since you let his name slip."

"You know I never let anything slip."

"I think you do need to go into hibernation. It's only around 9:30 and you are becoming crabby. Maybe to make up for it you can go to bed earlier and wake up later.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Sorry for doubting you K-chan. Maybe I need to sleep more."

"It's okay K-kun. I think we're all gonna sleep well tonight."

"Your old speak is getting better. You aren't using awkward phrases as often."

"They weren't awkward they were grammatically correct."

"You use modern day slang now."

"Why is that such a big deal? I can't say gonna or wanna or ain't or…why are you looking at me like I just swallowed a bee?"

Kiba stood up and kissed her on the forehead, "It means that you're becoming one with your guild members. You're relating to them more." He opened the door to reveal an empty guild. "Looks like you weren't the only tired one. Doesn't your guild usually party until midnight?"

Kotone stood up and stretched, "Yes." She walked out of the white room and closed the door. She hopped back up onto her throne, knowing her office was taken. "K-kun."

Kiba sat down on a chair near him, expecting a long monologue, "Yes?"

"If you ever want to know all of my secrets, just know you can ask anything."

Kiba felt his heart flutter in his chest. His second mother was finally letting him into her world. He choked back some tears before nodding and walking out the door.

Kotone watched him go and took a breath, realizing that there would never be a day that she goes to bed early. Confused footsteps were slowly making their way to her. She just needed to wait and react accordingly.

She closed her eyes, letting her ears adjust to the thousands of people, bugs, leaky water facets, closing doors, and many other things that went on in the night. The pattern was always the same. And as time would pass by, she would realize that the patterns would never change but she would never get used to how people unknowingly act like a herd of elephants running around with no end in sight. So noisy, all of them. But she sighed, taking comfort in the sounds. They would act as insurance, saying nothing was wrong as she listened. If anything was wrong, the pattern would change and she would be wide awake.

She sat on her throne, body sleeping. When she forced her body to wake up she would have twice as much energy as she normally did. She sat there, eyes open, staring off into the distance. Her feet dangled off the chair and she slouched as her head fell onto her arm that rested on the throne's arm. If someone had walked in and saw her, they might have mistaken her for a doll.

_I'll be able to sleep once the Dragon Council is done with me. Then there will be no real danger that will keep me up at night. I'm sure if anyone needed me they'd wake me up without hesitation. Silly little guildlings will learn not to wake me up unless it's important_, she thought to herself. _He's almost here. I can hear his footsteps becoming louder and faster. He recognizes the streets now. He'll be here soon. I better wake up…"_

She twitched her fingers, getting her arms used to moving again. She stretched, yawned, and sat up straight. Her legs were still asleep and she swung them up and onto the chair's arm. She pointed her feet and flexed them a few times, yawning as she leaned against the other arm of the throne. As she focused on her feet, her arms fell asleep again. She mentally cursed herself for her body's temptation to hibernate.

She tried to get her arms to wake up and her legs fell asleep.

What is this?! This is ridiculous! This is something that happens to Natsu! Well great, body refuses to wake up…

She yawned again, listening to the footsteps. He just needed to turn the corner and the guild will be in sight…

Semyon paused as he looked up at the guild, tempted to turn around and walk away. But he knew he couldn't do that. After that dream of meeting the master and even encountering the three legends of a new guild called the Shark Empress, he needed to see if his dream was really a dream.

All of it had seemed so real. He could still remember the feel of the smooth cushion under his hands as he sat on the master's chair.

Was it really all a dream? All he could remember was walking to Magnolia and sitting down for a quick nap. Then he woke up and the sun was setting.

He wanted the dream to be true. He wanted to see that view again. He wanted to smile with the happy guild. He wanted to meet the frightening yet admirable girl again. He wanted to laugh at Commander Kuki. He wanted to be in that guild all the time.

But what if it was really just a dream and the guild really has become a boring, mellow guild? What if Commander Kuki isn't real? What if Kotone wasn't real? He wouldn't be able to write for his blog if he didn't have the heart to do it. He would be so disappointed.

But he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he didn't know.

He stopped arguing with himself and walked up to the front doors. They sat there, intimidating even to those who lived in Magnolia. He gulped as he raised his hand to knock. His hand shook and a thought occurred to him.

If he knocked and the guild was mellow, it would bring everyone's attention to him. But if it was loud and rambunctious still, no one would hear him.

He placed his hand against the door, pushing slightly. The door didn't even budge so he placed his other hand on the door and pushed with all his might. The door swung open and hit the wall with a loud _smack_.

Semyon nearly lost his footing and almost fell face first into the wooden floor. He regained his balance and slowly looked up, dread filling him as he realized everything was silent. He sighed in relief when he saw the entire guild was empty, but immediately felt sick to his stomach because he realized he would have to come again tomorrow and go through the entire routine again.

He closed the door and sat down heavily onto one of the chairs, supporting his upper body by placing his forearms on his knees. He hung his head and shook it with shame. He was a coward, not even being able to face the idea of summoning up enough courage to come back when it was full.

He stood up looking around the guild, believing that it would be the last time he ever saw the inside of this wonderful guild. He crossed his fingers praying that the throne in his dreams was real. He looked up and gasped, practically falling back into the chair from surprise. Not only was the chair real, but so was Master Kotone.

He felt his entire being light up with happiness as he saw her lounging on the throne, feet dangling over an arm of the chair. He ran up the stairs, caring little that he was only allowed to go up if he was invited. He was too excited to care. He was jittery from the excitement of seeing that some of his dream was true.

He reached the throne and looked over the back of it to see the familiar silver haired girl fast asleep. He two golden locks were the same color as the golden flakes in her amber eyes.

A thought occurred to him and he opened up his bag, searching for his first aid kit. He pulled it out and quietly clicked open the little white box, pulling out his white bandages. He unrolled a great length of it and made wide loops with it. He held the ends of the loops, creating a thick band of white bandages and held it above the girl's eyes.

His suspicions were right, that girl in his dreams, the dream about the woods and the mustards with the river. But why did he dream about that? The only difference between the two girls was the golden locks and the age difference, but it was undoubtedly the same person.

He heard a soft creak and glance back down at the ground level, seeing the door behind the bar wide open. He descended the stairs and glanced in the room. There was a table with chairs around it, a deck of cards piled neatly on the table. There was a nice leather chair that sat behind an official looking desk with papers and pens on it. There was a lamp in the corner and a rug on the floor. Besides that, there was a bookcase that reached from the floor to the roof and completely void of books. Instead there was memorabilia displayed. He walked over to the bookcase curious as to what the master of Fairy Tail would display in a personal office.

One of the shelves had a globe on it and it looked ancient with its browns and yellows. Another item on the shelf was an old picture and Semyon felt his stomach do flips. The picture was old and framed for protection. In it, there was a hoard of kids and an old lady with her middle aged daughter next to her. There were a few other adults who stood with their kids, but to one side of the adults stood a little girl who was the spitting image of the girl in his dream of the woods and the mustards with the river. Her eyes were bandaged and her hair was braided in the same way he first saw her, but she wore a black coat that had a hood for her to pull up and hide her presence.

He moved onto the next shelf and the first item he saw was a small, white coat with gold fringes. He recognized it from the pictures of the old Fairy Tail. It was the former master's cloak. Next to that was of Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lisanna, Mirajane, Elfman, Cana, Levy, Jet, Droy, and a few others he didn't recognize from when they were younger. He felt like smiling, they were so cute at that age. He looked at the self again and saw there were more pictures of other members of the guild, probably because they joined later. There was Wendy, Juvia, Gajeel, Lucy, and plenty of others. Next to all of the individuals was a very recent picture, one of the entire guild with Kotone smiling her heart out, sharp teeth were easily overlooked. She seemed to be having the time of her life in that picture.

On the next shelf, he saw a necklace with the Shark Empress's symbol on it, which confused him to a great extent. It also made him recall that Shark Empress's top three mages were hanging out on the S-class level in his dream. He shook the ought from his head and continued looking at the shelf. His heart stopped as he felt the color drain from his face, much more noticeably than when he saw the first picture of Kotone. He took a step back from the bookcase and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Kotone sitting in the leather chair, watching him.

She had her fingers laced together and held them over her mouth as she watched him lazily. Her elbows rested on the desk and that position made her look as if she was in deep thought.

Semyon gulped before dropping down into a dogeza saying, "I'm so very sorry for barging in and looking around while you were asleep!"

Kotone was silent, watching him sweat it out. She was very amused by his reaction but didn't let it show on her face. "If I didn't want you to come in here, I would have stopped you. You woke me up when you walked down the stairs." Her brows knit together as that fact frustrated her to no end.

"I'm sorry I woke you up!" he said, still in the dogeza.

"No. It's a good thing you woke me up. A very good thing," she seemed lost in thought again, looking at the bookcase. "Please stand up, there's no need for you to apologize."

Semyon nervously stood up and sat down on one of the chairs she motioned to.

"So, what brings you here at this time of night?" she asked, turning the clock to him.

He saw it was nearly 10:30 and was about to throw himself on the floor again. Kotone stopped him with a wave of her hand, dismissing the clock. "My guild usually parties until midnight so 10:30 is early for me."

Semyon visibly relaxed, happy that it wasn't a mellow guild like the rumors suggested. He glanced back up at her to see a small smile play at her lips. He flushed with embarrassment, causing her eyes to close with her small smile becoming a grin.

"So, what was it that brought you here at this time of day?" she asked again, having all the time in the world for his answer. She watched as he fidgeted, trying to figure out a way to explain his desire to come. He glanced at the bookcase a few times as he thought about what he was going to say. Kotone, seeing his confusion changed the subject, "Is there something over there that catches your eye?"

"Yes…a couple of things actually…" he murmured to himself, not wanting to seem rude.

She easily heard his murmur with her heightened senses and said, "Which objects? I'll tell you about them if you're interested. I honestly have no better use for them now except to admire them and boast about them to others."

Seeing her obvious permission to question the objects, glanced at the ancient photo first before deciding against it. Kotone saw his glance and started talking anyways.

"That is a picture of when I visited the Shark Empress after I saved it from being taken away from the residents. That was a long time ago. Today, everyone in the photo is dead except me."

Semyon glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before looking back at the picture. She didn't look that old. "When was the Shark Empress first established?" he asked hesitantly.

"Officially, about two and a half months ago. I kind of gave them the name and their symbol. That necklace down there is the same necklace that I gave to the first master of the Shark Empress. It was passed down from generation to generation of Masters until the latest Master recognized me from the photo and told me to keep it."

He gulped, "What about non-officially?"

She whistled to herself. One long note of remembrance. "Geez, let me think here…400 years ago maybe? 350 years? 375? Something in that range."

"How can you be in that photo if it was that long ago?" he asked and immediately wished he didn't blurt out the first thing that came to mind. Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she smirked and leaned back in her chair to admire the picture.

"I'm much older than I look. I can guarantee that I won't die within the next century." She chuckled at the thought of dying of old age.

"Well then how old are you?" he asked, slowly gaining courage.

"How presumptuous of you. Asking a girl her age?" She glanced at him, seeing him freeze at her words. "I'm joking child. To be honest I don't know my exact age anymore. The only thing that knew it died so now I can guess. It said I was over 670, I think."

He breathed and held his head, it spinning with questions.

"As you can see, I'm filled with impossibilities so it's hard for me to not believe a lot of things. Why did you want to come to Fairy Tail at this time of day?" she said gently, reminding him of her original question.

He started fidgeting again, glancing back at the bookcase. The bandages…the photo…his dream…

"Were you looking for something? Someone? Just curious? I don't care how ridiculous or mundane the reason is. We could just sit here or you could leave if you want. Whatever you want to do. I have all the time in the world, I'm not going anywhere." She watched him clench his fists.

_No, he won't leave_, she thought. _He wants to know_.

"It's crazy, I don't know why I'm here," he said, glancing at the bookcase again. "No, that's not true. I, I'm not sure why but…" He was flustered again, nervous. He was just happy that he wasn't stuttering again.

He stood up, fists clenched and by his sides, and stiffly walked to the bookcase. He pointed at the dirty white mass and said, "These."

Kotone stood up as well and walked over to stand by his side. She stared at the white bandages, her eyes glazed over and she was in a faraway face. Semyon tilted his head to get a better look at her, wondering what could make her expression change from calm and smiling to…sad and distant.

"Those," she murmured, gently brushing her fingers over them, moving as if she had done it thousands of times.

Semyon, suddenly feeling as if he was handling a delicate girl missing a few vital pieces that time would not restore. Like a big brother, he knelt down and held her hand. She didn't react, her hand still on the bandages. He felt like he was talking to a shell of a person who was programed like a robot to answer any and all questions when he said, "Yes, the bandages. Can you tell me about the bandages?"

Her face void of any emotions, her hand fisted and gathered the bandages into her hand as she said, "These bandages have been with me since the villagers tried to stone me. I stole them from a doctor when he left to join the mob. I snuck in and took it. If I hid my eyes, I thought the villagers might tolerate me. They were even more scared when they found out I could take a human form. So I ran and tried to get across the river, but I wasn't used to not having my magic and I couldn't use my heightened senses to see for me. I fell into the river and almost got carried away by the current. I managed to get out but my human body was new and vulnerable. It tore easily and couldn't defend itself from the cold. I managed to hide in the bushes nearby, but I got terrible cuts from it and the bushes didn't provide much protection from the cold night. I nearly froze to death but found that if I moved, I didn't feel the cold that much. The bandages became a part of me from that day on. I stole clothing and food to keep myself alive. I learned to use my element to its full advantage and my ears became my eyes. I never took off my bandages. I did once. I showed my eyes to Makarov. That was the day I left him at Fairy Tail. The next time I showed my eyes was to Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel. When I showed them, I was able to keep my human form. I swore I would never use them again after that. I gave them to Makarov when I saw him again. Then, when he died. I found his coat." Her hand squeezed the bandages and she took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. "I found his coat. I took it into my hands and hugged it. I noticed that there was a…a lump. Inside were my bandages."

She squeezed his hand with so much force he thought his hand broke, but he didn't mind so much when he lost feeling in his fingers. He wasn't quite sure if it hurt more when the blood came rushing back to his fingers. He looked up at her glazed eyes to see them glistening with unshed tears. She released the bandages and took a shaky breath.

"So," she said, sounding perfectly calm, "is there anything else you want to know?"

If he was ever going to tell her, the time was now. This moment, this atmosphere, this openness between them, might never happen again.

"W-When I was sleeping, I had a dream," he stuttered, looking back at the bandages.

"Yes. That's what typically happens when one sleeps," she said, teasing him.

"But this dream was different than my normal dreams. I dreamt that I met you and a boy named Romeo and you brought me here. A lot of things happened that I'm not quite sure made sense, like there was a Commander Kuki, no it was Yuki. But I remember this wonderful hill that was the epitome of natural beauty. Then I had another dream where I was on a hill full of these yellow flowers called mustards. Do you know of them?" He stopped and waited for her reply, his hand on his knee like a knight waiting for his king to bless his shoulders with a tap of a holy blade.

What he got instead was a finger the gently pushed his glasses up on his nose for him and a hand that ruffled his white hair. "Yes boy, I know mustards very well."

He nodded, "Yes the hill was full of them and I could hear a river nearby. I heard a splash and came running over. I found a little girl who fell in the river. She was freezing cold and scratched up pretty bad." He slipped his hand back into hers and she glanced at it before finally looking him in eyes. "I think it was you."

They fell into silence, neither one moving as they tried to figure out what to say. Kotone didn't seem judgmental as she cocked her head to the side, appearing to think when she already knew.

"Well your dream sounds like the time when I first got my bandages. What do you think it means?" she asked, acting as if she was told sharks fall asleep if you turn them over.

Semyon scratched his head as it was his turn to think of something to say. He shook his head, coming up with nothing, "I don't know."

Kotone squeezed his hand before patting him on the shoulder, "I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it? All that matters now is what you plan to do next. Do you have an idea of what's next on your agenda?"

He shook his head again, "No, I didn't really think about it."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

He blushed deeply and hid his head.

"It's okay, I have a place you can stay until you find somewhere else you'd rather be." She walked out of the office and lead Semyon into Fairy Tail's nurses' office where a bed waited for him. She got him a bunch of heavy blankets in case he got cold and a couple of pillows. She got out a baggy shirt and a pair of baggy pants with a draw string. "Here you go. You can stay as long as you'd like. I think you could stay here for years and my guildlings would still welcome you with open arms. That's just the kind of guild they are."

With that she walked back to the door, watching as Semyon hesitantly walked inside and stood next to the bed.

"Dear boy, it seems you know my name yet you have not told me yours since you walked into my office," she commented, looking over her shoulder.

"Semyon. My name is Semyon, Master Kotone. Rumor has it that you sleep in your guild, if this is the case, then where?" he asked, feeling his tired mind desert his cautious nature for a bolder one.

"Oh I do. I thought you saw where I sleep earlier." She closed the door behind her and walked back up the stairs, letting her tired body drag her down. She was exhausted from forcing her body to move with her magic. Sound. Sound is a vibration that varies in pitch, frequency, and strength.

Her arms hung at her sides, asleep yet again. Her feet dragged and she almost stumbled off the second level. She barely caught herself, feeling her magic hold her up as she leaned over the edge. She grunted as she dragged her arms from the dead and pushed on the vibrating mass in front of her. She fell back into her chair, where she relaxed in her awkward position. One foot was on the arm of the throne, one leg hung over the seat, one arm hung over the seat, one arm was hanging over the other arm of the throne and above her head.

She saw black spots fill her vision as she pulled herself into a position that wouldn't alarm her guildlings when they came in the morning, for she was afraid that she was going to sleep through it.

At last her arms lay on the seat and her legs over a chair's arm, her head resting on the other arm. It scared her when she didn't hear Semyon come in. It had shocked her so much it gave her the adrenalin to stand up and follow him.

She sighed, her body fast asleep and her mind slowly shutting off to follow it.

_Sorry Kiba, looks like this dragon needs to sleep_, the thought ran through her head as her heavy eyes closed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mirajane happily walked through the empty streets of Magnolia. Save a couple of people getting ready for the day. She smiled at them and they waved back. She was a common sight at that time in the morning. She was always known as the first member of Fairy Tail to arrive at the guild to help the Master get ready for the day, even when Makarov was the Master.

She walked down the street that led to the guild. She knew that Kotone could hear her, but out of habit she always knocked on the door before entering. She strolled up to the doors and knocked twice before entering the guild, the doors were never locked.

She closed the door behind her, "Master it is quite warm this morning isn't it? It must be because it was so warm yesterday."

She walked over and placed her bag on the bar, unpacking the items she brought to help cool down her fellow members. "Master I brought a fan in case your clothing proves to be a burden."

She stopped unpacking, noticing the lack of response to either of her comments.

"Master?"

…

"Master is everything alright?"

…

"Master?"

She walked out from behind the bar and looked up. There she was, laying there in her chair. Mirajane walked up to the second level, being an S-class mage. She walked over to the chair and glanced down. Kotone was asleep. Mirajane never saw her asleep. Kotone always told her that the town was too noisy for her to sleep peacefully. That's why they set up that white room, but Kotone refused to sleep in it, she said it was unnerving how the entire world stopped speaking to her.

Mirajane watched as the scales over Kotone's mouth spread over her nose and kept rising. She jumped into action, racing down the stairs and throwing open the door to Kotone's office. She ran to the desk and looked into the lacrima that sat on the desk.

"Elfman! Elfman! Get up!" she cried, on the verge of panic. Her panic was temporarily subsided when she saw her brother's face appear, his bed head a sign that she had woken him up.

"Elfman I need you to wake up as many members as you can! We need to get Kotone out of town before everyone else in town starts waking up…Hurry!" she yelled as Elfman hesitated, wanting more information.

She ran out of the office and almost collapsed when she saw Daniel, Alice, and Anzu walk inside. She ran to Anzu and grasped her arms. Anzu, being the telepathic, immediately nodded and ran up the stairs with Mirajane. She played her messages over to as many members she could contact, which was few since she didn't stay long enough to converse with many of them. Daniel and Alice ran up the stairs with Anzu, mentally hearing her urgent message.

"I'm so glad you're here! We need to get this done quietly so as to not alarm the city," Mirajane said, picking up Kotone princess-style.

Anzu nodded, noticing the shredded remains of Kotone's gloves on the chair. There was a terrible ripping sound as the boots followed the gloves. The four of them shared a look before Mirajane handed Kotone to Anzu and ran down the stairs into the nurses' office. She saw a pile of blankets and grabbed a few before running out the door. She ran to Anzu who was waiting with Kotone on a table. They were working on cutting off Kotone's pants' legs and Kotone's cloak was already gone and on the table.

They through the clothing away, leaving Kotone with her backless halter top and a makeshift pair of shorts. Mirajane spread the blanket on the table and they moved Kotone onto the blanket.

"The wings are one of the first changes so we got to roll her onto her stomach," Wendy yelled, running into the guild, clad in her pajamas.

They nodded and rolled Kotone onto her stomach before loosely wrapping the blanket around her to hide her from onlooker's view.

"The next change is her weight, so we won't be able to carry her. Mirajane can you get the wagon?"

Mirajane nodded before running off. Wendy hurriedly ripped the back of Kotone's pants, "After that is the tail. We will probably get her out of here before the tail comes but we don't want to take a chance and have that loud sound carried across town."

Mirajane threw open the door to reveal the magic wagon that fed off of magical power. They grabbed the blanket and carried Kotone into the back as other began to show up.

"I need Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy up front with me. Wendy, Gajeel, Juvia, and Cana get in the back. We're going to take turns feeding the wagon. Now everyone one else listen to me, since Kotone is no longer manipulating the sound that is coming from the guild, we can't brawl and fight like we used to. Kotone worked hard to make it look like the perfect guild to the Wizard Council. We have to be quiet, understood?" Mirajane commanded, a devilish look in her eyes threatened that she would make them pay if they disobeyed.

They nodded and ran inside the guild, silently closing the door behind them.

Erza took the lead and hooked herself in first, telling Mirajane that she needed to calm down before she used the wagon. Mirajane hopped into the back as the wagon took off, leaving a trail of dust.

Lucy leaned over to Natsu and quietly asked, "Where can we take her?"

Natsu tapped Erza's shoulder as they left Magnolia, "Head towards the lair."

"I'm already ahead of you," she kicked up speed and the only thing the people of Magnolia noticed from their exit was that they must have a mission that required their immediate service.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Semyon watched as Mirajane ran inside like a bullet and left just as fast, a harsh wind following her as she zoomed out.

He woke up when Mirajane started yelling for Elfman and was out of bed when her fast exit caused him to fall out.

He stood up and tried to get the ringing in his ears to stop after he hit his head on the way down. He picked up his glasses, allowing him to be able to find his clothes with ease. He changed and searched around for his bag, not remembering where he placed it the night before. After searching for a good amount of time he remembered that he had left it in Kotone's office.

He stretched and yawned, it being a little early for him to be up and moving. He walked to the door and opened it to see the guild was full of members. They all turned and watched him start to sweat. It was just like his what he feared it would be like. Fairy Tail becoming a mellow guild and proving the rumor true.

"Well hello sunshine. You're up a little early aren't you?"

Semyon looked for the voice that called him out and found a guy a same age as him working the bar.

"Kotone said you would be staying with us for a little while. Glad to have you aboard Semyon. Excuse them, they aren't really morning people," the guy said, cleaning a glass.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, extremely happy as the people in the guild looked away from him and started talking at a normal level to each other. Semyon shuffled over to the bar, seeing as the only morning person in the room happy to talk to him was there. "W-Where is Mirajane?"

"Mirajane?"

"Yeah, she usually works the bar, but I don't see her anywhere."

"Mirajane called in sick so I'm working today," he said, flashing him a goofy grin.

Semyon sat down, knowing the guy was lying to him. He heard her this morning and she even ran into the nurses' office. She wouldn't run that fast if she was sick. "So then who are you?"

"Gary Chazrosens is my name. How can I help you?" he asked.

Semyon felt like they were polar opposites. Semyon was a nervous worry wart and Gary seemed like the type of guy who would stand in front of you as you threw knives around him. Not only were their personalities different, but their appearances couldn't have been more opposite. Semyon's white hair and light brown eyes could be seen a mile away, but Gary's black hair and dark brown eyes would let him blend with the crowd. Semyon was pale while Gary was tan.

A small blue haired girl grabbed his attention saying, "Where are you from Semyon?"

"Uh…um…w-well I-I…" he stuttered, surprised by her sudden appearance. Levy was talking to him, with Jet and Droy close behind her, pouting because she wasn't talking to them. He took that in and felt as his tongue stopped working. Girls were not his strong point. Being under pressure was not his strong point.

The sweat on his hands made it impossible for him not to know that he was panicking, but it's not like he really needed that to tell him the obvious. He fisted his hands as his mouth snapped open and close like a fish out of water. He sat like that for a moment until he realized why he was so nervous. Kotone hadn't jumped in yet. When he was by himself and didn't know what to do, she had jumped in and made everything alright, even in his dream. Even last night.

Last night was something different all together. He was brave and strong last night. Of course at first he was nervous, but when she had patiently waited and smiled at him, he had gained the courage to stand up and point at the bandages. Then when she started talking, he saw how vulnerable she was. She wasn't a master anymore, she was a child who needed an older brother to listen and tell her everything would be all right. He acted as that older brother and became someone that could be depended on. He wasn't the pathetic, cautious, coward of a boy he usually was. He felt like he was needed, like he had a purpose.

Levy watched as Semyon stuttered, her smile growing at how cute his awkwardness was. When his mouth closed, his eyes seemed to look through her, at something behind her. She found herself copying him when his head cocked to the side ever so slightly.

Semyon looked at Gary in a new light, "Where is Kotone?" Levy's question was completely forgotten.

Gary picked up a new glass to clean and eyed Semyon, "She went to go talk to the other guild Masters. She said she was going to check on Mirajane on the way there."

"But," he said, examining Gary further, "last night she told me she wasn't going anywhere. And, haven't I seen you before?"

Gary stopped his cleaning and Levy held her breath… Semyon noted this but kept quiet, waiting for what Gary was going to say.

"Well," Gary said, examining Semyon's reaction, "Maybe we bumped into each other in town, but other than that I can't really recall a time that I've met you before. As for what Kotone told you, she might have just forgotten that she had to leave today."

Semyon sat there, thinking over what Gary said. "Yeah, that's probably it."

Levy silently released her breath and continued smiling. She subtly changed the subject and Semyon played along, knowing that something was off.

Kotone didn't come off as the type of person who would forget something. Sure all he had to go on was his dream of meeting her and their encounter last night, but she was exactly the same type of person in his dream as she was in real life. He wasn't going to shake off the feeling that she didn't forget the meeting any time soon.

It was then that the doors flew open and the true rowdy bunch walked in, grim expressions on their faces. The blonde one, Lucy, saw Semyon and smiled. "Looks like Semyon is up!"

She and Erza walked up to talk to Levy while the others scattered to talk to others. Semyon was now extremely confused.

"Um, where did you guys come from?" he asked Lucy, not wanting to chance asking Erza the Titania.

Lucy was sitting next to him at the bar and turned away from Levy talking to Erza about how metal wasn't good if you wanted to be quiet. "Oh, uh, we just came back from a tough mission."

"Then how did you know my name?" he asked, a skeptical look in his eyes told Lucy that she had to be on her A game if she wanted to fool him.

"The Master told me," she said, looking up at Gary, knowing full well she isn't a very convincing liar.

"But the Master left a while ago, she couldn't have told you."

Lucy started fidgeting, knowing she had been caught already. She looked up at Gary, who came to her rescue.

"Did you run into her on the way back from your mission? She said she was going to stop by Mirajane's before she left to go to the meeting. Mirajane called in sick today," Gary said, looking her in the eyes. His tone might have sounded casual but Semyon heard the commanding undertone that left no room for questioning.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, that's what happened exactly."

Semyon was quiet for a moment, "That would explain it."

Gary smiled and handed Cana another barrel after she slapped her hand down on the counter. Erza turned to Gary and started up a conversation with him about the advantages of various weapons. Semyon silently got up and left the guild, wondering what was going on. It was obvious they were hiding something, but what was it?

He scratched his head and adjusted his glasses. He saw a smudge on them and took them off, wiping them on his shirt. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, a heavy weight on top of him. He was clutching his glasses in his hand and hurriedly put them on to see the person who tackled him. He gasped when he recognized the uniform of the Wizard General Kiba, but started panicking when the General looked him right in the eyes, as he was laying on him, holding him down, extremely awkward for even the most normal person.

Semyon yelped as he threw the General off of him and scrambled away, keeping a good distance between the two of them. He jumped into the bushes he backed into when Kiba stood up and looked directly at him again.

"Did I do something wrong?!" Semyon exclaimed, wondering why the General was looking for him.

"Are you Semyon?" the General asked, standing his ground.

"Y-Yes," Semyon replied, praying that he wasn't being set up.

The general came and pulled him out of the bushes, "Kotone slipped a note into my pocket last night. It said to find the person staying at Fairy Tail who wasn't a member. And that his name was Semyon. It then said to bring you somewhere."

"Bring me? Bring me where?!" He exclaimed, being held by one's pants and dangling in midair by someone you have never met before would also cause a normal person to panic.

Kiba placed the boy down on the ground, "I don't know! She gave me a map though! Here, just read the note! You might make better sense of it than I did!" He pulled out a folded sheet of paper out of his white glove and handed it to Semyon.

He unfolded it quickly and smoothed it out. He read it and felt his heart skip a beat and then double its speed. He gulped, "Are you sure this was meant for you?"

"She put it in my pocket, but it could have been meant for you just as easily me. Maybe even both of us, she was always talking in riddles I couldn't figure out," he admitted, crossing his arms.

Semyon stiffly nodded and looked back at the sheet of paper.

_The boy who is staying at the __ guild, __ Semyon, I want you both to __ come to a place that is only known by a_

_handful of people. There is a __ rough map drawn on the __ back but I'm sure you two will make it just fine. __ Undoubtedly I won't be by myself but, Kiba, you_

_should be able to convince __ whoever is there to let you through.__ If you can't convince them, give them this note. I need __ to discuss something __ with you two, but I might __ not be able to if my deduction is correct. __ Come anyways, I know that Semyon will want to come. __ Look to the light__ if you get stuck._

_-Kotone_

Semyon flipped the paper over and saw the map. Rough would not do it justice. It literally was just a line with a few curves.

"Riddles…it's always riddles with her," Kiba said.

Semyon was examining the paper, the line looked familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He flipped it over again and examined how the lines staggered and spaces were so big. She did that for a reason, but why?

He flipped that paper over again to look at the line. An idea popped into his head and he lifted the paper up to the sun and smiled. He tapped Kiba on the shoulder and showed him his discovery.

"We'll I'll be…" Kiba murmured before Semyon took off, pulling Kiba behind him.

Semyon felt all his fear and caution being thrown to the wind as he sprinted down the streets of Magnolia, the General of the Wizard Council's army being dragged by his own hand. He smiled, feeling better than he had in years because of a simple reason that would confound many people. He was smiling because he was going to see Kotone again. His smile grew at the thought of it and his legs picked up speed.

"Boy! Boy! Semyon!" Kiba cried, but they fell on deaf ears.

Semyon held up the map to the sun and saw the lines of the note create streets and paths that the line weaved through. Semyon let out a whoop of victory as he re-read the lines: Look to the light if you get stuck.

He ran out of Magnolia and practically jumped over a couple of incoming merchants. He yelled an apology over his shoulder as he ran like his life depended on it. His smile never left his face, even when Kiba threatened to throw him in jail.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mirajane sat there, watching as her master breathed evenly in her sleep. She gulped, completely awed at the dragon before her. They had barely got her into the right room when her weight changed. Wendy had made it sound like the changes would happen quick and fast, but she had only seen Kotone change into her dragon form when she was awake. With her drifting into a deep slumber, Kotone's control on her magic was slowly disappearing. She was slowly releasing her suppressed magic. Her true form no longer being human, no… no longer having a complete human form, she was naturally a dragon. This was the first time Mirajane truly understood that.

She was surprised at how big her small Master was. She was just as big as Acnologia was, maybe a little smaller but they were about the same. She was surprised when she saw how big the beds were when they got to the lair. They couldn't bring her to the room of the ritual because when they left last time, she had destroyed the room. All that was left was boulders and dust.

Mirajane resisted the urge to walk over and touch her Master's snout, but she wanted to so badly. It was like sitting in front of an old piano, scared to touch it yet the urge is still there. She didn't want to wake up her master but she wanted to do something for her.

In the end the urge over took her fear of waking her up. Mirajane stood up and walked across the room to get a better look. She stood in front of Kotone's paws, Kotone's head rested on her paws and her tail wrapped around her body. The long line of feathers that ran from the base of her head to the tip of her tail were black or white and a red one would appear every once in a while. The silver scales that covered most of her human body were now more noticeable and beautiful. They were shiny and smooth, that much Mirajane could tell at first glance.

She lifted her hand and compared her skin to the dragon scales that were inches away from her hand. She almost wished that her magic would give her those scales, but she remembered the sad and painful gazes that her Master would cast at her shelf in her office. She didn't wish for that pain, she didn't want anyone to own that painful gaze.

Mirajane brought her warm hand to the scales and gasped. She expected a cold surface but the scales warmed up her surprisingly cold hand. She brought up her other hand and also touched the scales that had enticed her so. She slid her hand over the delicate snout, wanting to rest her head on it.

She jerked her hands away as Kotone's eyes snapped open. Mirajane backed away, "I'm sorry! Did I wake you?"

Silence. Mirajane looked at Kotone's eyes; they were glazed over with the telltale sign of sleep. The massive head lifted from her paws, and turned towards the entrance. Footsteps could be heard.

Kotone growled and Mirajane had never been so frightened in her life, the sound rattled her bones and she found herself on the floor, shaking. She gasped for breath, her forehead formed sweat and a drop rolled down her face. Terrified wouldn't even describe how she felt.

Kotone stopped growling, listening as the footsteps hurried away. "Tomb robbers," she said in a dead pan voice, complete monotone. Her head fell back onto her paws, eyes closing.

Mirajane took a deep breath, steadying herself. How could they have found this place? She didn't know what she was more scared of, the fact that someone found the lair or Kotone's growl. It was definitely Kotone's growl but those people had unsettled her. She shakily stood up and ran to Kotone, hugging the dragon's nose for warmth and comfort.

"We won't let them come for you. That's a promise," she murmured, relaxing to the sound of Kotone's calm breathing.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The soft incline lead to a cave in the side of a cliff and the note was tucked into a pocket in his pants. Kiba sat behind him, his clothes so dirty he didn't think magic would be able to fix it.

Semyon's smile was huge as he marched up the incline, but froze as a sound stopped him in his tracks. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his pupils dilated. His tried to move but found he couldn't budge even a finger. His breathing picked up until he thought his heart was going to burst from his chest. His stomach clenched and he would have lost his breakfast if he had anything for breakfast.

Kiba was right behind him and in the same condition for a few moments as the ferocious roar slowly faded away. He fixed his coat and cleared his throat. Semyon blinked, regaining the ability to move. Not only could he move again, but he seemed to be bursting with energy. He was more paranoid than ever before.

Kiba patted him on the shoulder, calming him down slightly, "I have only heard that once before. I tried to take her bandages."

Kiba walked on ahead, leaving Semyon to think about what he just said. _You mean, that was Kotone?_ He asked himself.

As they walked into the cave, he immediately jumped out of the way. Three masked figures darted out, running at full speed. They sprinted away, leaving an aura of fear in their place.

"What was that?" Kiba asked, looking over his shoulder at the trail of dust.

Semyon shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling like he had to move. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that they weren't supposed to be here."

Semyon walked in and Kiba silently followed. The cave turned into a tunnel with turns as it led them to a crossroad. Three options were in front of them and neither knew which one they were supposed to take.

They stood there awkwardly as they tried to come up with a solution. Luckily for them, Kiba had a lacrima that held light so they had their own torch to light the way.

Semyon tried to figure out a way to tell which one was the right tunnel to take, while Kiba listened. Kiba was eventually spread eagle on the floor, zoning out as Semyon muttered to himself.

"Well the walls are the same, they don't give anything away," Semyon mumbled, pacing. He walked over to one side of the tunnel and leaned against it. Immediately he knew that something was wrong.

He slid to the ground and scratched his head. He wasn't seeing something obvious. Kotone wouldn't lead them there to wander tunnels. She knew they could figure it out, but he was stumped. His brain felt like it was running into a wall every time his ideas failed. The head ache was coming. The infamous head ache of frustration.

He himself started zoning out as they just lay there, knowing that they were getting nowhere fast. His happy thoughts about seeing Kotone again were like the razor sharp edges of a shattered dream, painful as he picked up the pieces to try and mend it, only to drop them and start from the beginning.

He covered his face with his hands, hoping like a child that if he couldn't see the problem, there wouldn't be a problem. Reluctantly he pulled his hands away from his face and gazed at the three tunnels. They glared back, mocking him as he helplessly let them.

Kiba sighed as he got tired of fiddling with the lacrima, "We aren't going to get anywhere like this, maybe we should just head back."

Semyon nodded in agreement as he got up stiffly. They had been laying there longer than they thought.

Kiba stretched right before heading to the correct tunnel to leave, "Let's just hope that we get lost on the way out."

Semyon sighed, "No It should be fine since we can just follow our footsteps."

Semyon stopped in his tracks, his foot hovering above the ground as he was about to take his next step. His hand collided with his forehead and he called out for Kiba, but Kiba was already gone. Semyon was swamped with darkness but he was one of those people who were always prepared. He touched the lens of his glasses and he had instant night vision goggles.

He turned around and looked back at the three tunnels. Sure enough, the obvious signs where there. Footprints were everywhere, most undoubtedly from his pacing. But there were small footprints and large ones. Foot prints led to all tunnels, but the center tunnel was the only tunnel that had footprints coming from it and there were a lot of them.

Semyon smiled, racing down the tunnel. The shattered dream had been swept up and tossed into the recycling, being replaced with a new and stronger one. This dream, this dream was made of hope. And hope never dies. It can seem like its run away, but it's always there, sometimes just hidden in your sorrow.

Semyon's sorrow was forgotten as he tore down the tunnels, following the footsteps of many others before him. He turned into a tunnel and nearly collided with an outraged Mirajane. She was in her Satan Soul form, glaring at him and hands ready to attack.

She focused on him and slightly lowered her hands as she realized who it was. "Semyon? What are you doing here?" she asked, but realized he shouldn't even know how to get there. She brought her hands back up, threatening him.

"K-K-Kotone told me and General Kiba to come, but Kiba left…" Semyon trailed off as Mirajane inched her way toward him. "I HAVE A LETTER!" he yelled in desperation.

He searched his pocket to find the note. Once he found it, he almost dropped it he was trying to move so fast. He opened it and held it out to Mirajane, his hand shook slightly, causing the paper to emphasize his shaking.

She took it from him roughly and brought it up into the little light that entered the room. Semyon watched as her eyes moved, reading the note and recognizing the hand writing. She then gasped and her eyes widened, she changed back into her normal self, disarming her magic. She grabbed Semyon's hand and pulled him inside. Semyon tripped over his own feet as he got his first look at the room. A mass of silver scales and black and white feathers was settled on what he guessed was soft hay, like what they use for animals.

"That is Kotone," Mirajane said, literally dragging Semyon to the mass of scales. "Yes, she is a dragon and that isn't a very well-known fact. We plan on keeping it that way." She released his hand as they came to a stop before Kotone's head.

Semyon sat on the floor, gawking at the legend in front of him. Dragons aren't real. They can't be.

"Bu-But Kotone is a little girl!" Semyon blurted out, at a loss of why he wanted to come so badly. Why did he want to come again?

Mirajane giggled at that. She covered her mouth with her hand and apologized for her laughter. "Kotone is over 600 years old. She's not even sure how old she is anymore. But I think that is the only thing she doesn't know, in my personal opinion. I also think that the only reason why she doesn't know is because she doesn't care."

Semyon was quiet, obviously Mirajane wasn't sick and obviously Kotone wasn't at a meeting. Why did he want to see her so badly? Was it because he felt like he was finally home when he was with her? Now that he was sitting right in front of her nose, he felt safe again. He was always nervous and panicking but whenever Kotone was there, it was like his worries were never there.

Mirajane stood next to Semyon, gazing at Kotone. In her hand was the note and in her mind were thoughts of it. Kotone's note was also written in magic ink. That when the note touched a certain person, the ink would become apparent and would only stay so as long as the certain person was touching the note. Mirajane thought of the message that was left for her. Could the pathetic boy next to her really be what Kotone said? It seemed impossible.

Her focus shifted to the boy as he stood up, his eyes shining with a look of knowing. "It is Kotone!" he exclaimed, pointing to a spot on the dragon's neck.

Kotone's black Fairy Tail symbol was displayed proudly on the side of her long neck. The symbol was huge, it having been put on when she was in her human form.

His smile was big and goofy as he looked back at Mirajane who nodded in response. Semyon didn't even seem to notice as he looked back at Kotone, inhaling sharply as he saw Kotone's wings. So very different than the image of dragons he grew up with, blood thirsty monsters that terrorize towns when they get bored. Mighty creatures that resembled huge lizards but with leathery wings he recalled. But Kotone was like a horse with the skin of a snake and the claws of a hawk. Her wings were like an angel's, a fallen angel's.

The thought of comparing Kotone to a fallen angel made Semyon smile even more. Oh yes, Kotone was exactly like an angel that was so clever and smart that she decided to descend. A little twisted angel wasn't she? Her white wings occasionally had a black feather here of there and some of the white feathers looked scorched. Semyon wanted to skip around he was so giddy with happiness.

He ended up standing in the same spot Mirajane was standing on not too long ago. He stood on his toes as he tried to get a better view of Kotone's face. He softly placed a hand on her snout and gasped. A white light filled his vision and the world around him faded away. Clips and pictures flashed through his head like a slide show on fast forward. It was impossibly fast, too fast for anyone to register half of it. The slide show kept showing him knew things and Semyon felt like his head was going to burst. The pictures and clips were blurred they were moving so fast, but then everything stopped and the slide show stopped at the clip it was on.

Semyon couldn't close his eyes as he saw a world where the grass was blue and the sky was green. The sun was blue and the ocean orange. Tree trunks were green and the leaves were brown. The one thing that looked normal was the mustards that were scattered everywhere. Everywhere. They were even growing on top of the orange ocean.

He heard the echos of laughter and saw as Kotone ran over and climbed the green tree. She was wearing a white sun dress and her hair was in a ponytail but it only reached her shoulders. Then, she was completely human. No claws, no scales, completely human. Her human teeth shone as she smiled at an unknown entity that wasn't in his field of vision.

Then a second Kotone ran by the tree and jumped into the ocean. She was wearing a white tank top with white shorts. Another Kotone that was completely human, but her hair was that insane length of hair that he was used to seeing. It was in that braid and wrapped around her shoulders like a scarf, but it would have been a really loose scarf. It hung so her neck and face were clearly visible and Semyon could see her equally bright smile as the first Kotone. She came up from under the water and looked at the other Kotone. Their laughter was like a faded echo in his ears as he watched one duck into the water and one into the leaves.

A boy walked on, passing right by the tree before jumping back and looking behind it. He frowned and looked behind the white rocks, yellow clouds passing overhead. Soon the boy started walking back the way he had come from, but Kotone in the water emerged and quietly followed him. The Kotone in the tree crawled to the lowest branch and shared a glance with the soaking Kotone. They shared a smile and both pounced on the boy at the same time.

The boy fell with an "oof!" and the Kotone giggled and they started tickling him. Soon his eyes were filled with tears and he started tickling them back. It turned into an all-out tickle war and their laughter was like little bells. Before the end of it, all of their eyes were filled with tears and their smiles mirrored each other's. Suddenly they stopped laughing and their smiles disappeared as if someone had just called out to them. They turned and looked directly at Semyon, wonder written on their faces. Then the Kotone with the super long hair stood up and smiled at him, one of those smiles that are so big that they make you squint. She kissed her hand and waved it at him, "Tell everyone that I'm sorry!"

Then the image was gone as if someone turned off the TV and Mirajane's face replaced the three kids.

"Semyon! Are you okay?!" She yelled, shaking him to see if he would give a reaction. The boy was acting like a zombie compared to how energetic he was earlier. Mirajane knew something was wrong. She should have done something instead of just standing there. Semyon, he just, he just stood there! It was as if Gray had frozen him in one of his ice pillars. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open. She had called out to him, wondering what he was doing, but then he just started crying. She was walking toward him when he suddenly fell backwards. It was like some had hit him in the head!

"Semyon!" she said, shaking him yet again.

The boy blinked as seemed to focus on the girl in front of him, "Yes?"

"What do you mean 'yes?'! You just collapsed!" she exclaimed, moving back as he sat up.

"Did I?" he murmured, rubbing his head. Oh yes, the back of his head felt sore. And his face was wet. "Am I crying?"

Mirajane nodded, seriously concerned for his mental health.

"Did you see all that?" he asked, looking back at the sleeping dragon. "All those pictures?"

Mirajane slowly stood up, wondering if he really was mentally stable. She shook her head, wondering what he would say next.

"So it was just me…" he murmured. Then he stood up and said, "I'll take care of everything for you Onee-chan!"

He grinned his goofy grin and pointed to his neck, "I want it here just like yours!"

Mirajane was silent, mentally promising Kotone that she would take care of the boy Kotone was concerned about. She then gasped as a black Fairy Tail symbol appeared on Semyon's neck. She then realized that maybe Semyon wasn't crazy at all. She thought about it again and decided he might be a little crazy, but when Kotone got involved, anything was possible.

"Wait, Onee-chan?" she asked, realizing what he said.

Semyon was busy trying to decide which task he would start first out of everything Kotone had requested him to do. He was brought out of his thoughts by Mirajane's question, making him smile again, "One of my great grandfathers is Kotone's Dad as well!"

Semyon immediately snapped his fingers and looked at Mirajane in a whole new light. He took her hand and ran out of the lair, his goofy smile slowly turning into a regretful one. They ran out into the early afternoon sun, watching Kiba seethe at losing Semyon in the tunnels. Mirajane went over to talk to him, leaving Semyon alone. She questioned why he brought her out, but she knew her way back in.

She looked over her shoulder as Kiba finally calmed down and nearly started seething as well. Why the heck was Semyon doing?!

Semyon's hands were in the air, the signature of magic could be seen fluttering around his hands. He then swung them back down to his sides, the air in front of him rippling. He stood silently as the ripples died down. Once it was calm, he asked Mirajane to go back.

Mirajane ran back inside, through the tunnels. Just as she entered Kotone's room, she saw Semyon and Kiba looking at her as she ran back out. "What is this?" she asked.

"Kotone knew that you would want to stay with her so she wasn't alone. By doing that, you yourself were alone. Kotone couldn't really keep you company. This way you couldn't come here to be by her side. She wants you to be with everyone at the guild. She's not by herself though, trust me. She's the happiest she's ever been, I could feel it." Semyon smiled at her, holding his hand out.

She walked over and placed her hand in his, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "But, what did you do?" she asked, trying to remain strong.

"I don't know how she knew, but my magic…my magic creates illusions. I don't really like using it because the truth is one of the strongest powers in the world. That's what I believe at least. I made it so that whoever enters will be redirected out and it's undetectable. Now!" he said, clapping his hands together. "It's time to get Gildarts!"

Kiba nearly choked on air, "Why do you want to find him?!"

Semyon scratched his head, "You're right…I'll do the stuff that needs to be done immediately first. For example, I need to talk to Greg-I-mean-Zach first. Then I need to create an illusion that looks like Kotone so no one outside the guild becomes suspicious. Then I need to give everyone Kotone's message…Oh boy, I got a lot to do and little time to do it!"

Kiba couldn't keep up, "Please explain what happened in there! I'm just getting bits and pieces. Everything seems foggy to me. All of it is over my head."

Semyon started walking away, back to town. Kiba and Mirajane followed his brisk pace. "You know Kiba-kun," Semyon said. "You know the funny thing about fog is that it's just a cloud in your way. You can walk through it or just stand there saying that it's a dead end."

Kiba was quiet as he figured out what Semyon said. Mirajane giggled at Kiba's confused face as Semyon smiled, for he saw a lot of things with Kotone in that short instant.

Back in town, Semyon marched inside the guild, all of his worries and panic and nervousness were gone. He was proud and brave, for he had a sister. He had a sister who loved him and believed in him. Who needed him. He may not be the big brother he thought he was, but being a little brother to Kotone was just as cool.

"Yo! Zach my boy!" he yelled, holding his arms out like he was waiting for a hug.

"Greg" almost dropped the glass he was cleaning, but didn't look up at Semyon. He continued cleaning as if Semyon was talking to someone else.

Semyon quickly covered his mouth, "Oops! Sorry, I have to be more careful while you're in the guild." He hopped onto his seat and leaned on the bar. "Kotone wanted me to tell you something for her…" he whispered.

Zach looked up, "Are you talking to me?"

Semyon nodded, "Oh yes! I'm afraid so! Turns out Kotone can't tell you in person so she sent me. A guy named Samuel, he's the reason you guys aren't doing so well in you heists. She wanted to leave it up to you to do what you want to do with him. She thinks he's in some kind of trouble and that's the reason he's tipping you guys off to the authorities."

Semyon pushed off the bar and spun in his chair to see the rest of guild. His goofy smile shone as he said, "Yo! Kotone has a message for all of you!"

In the almost-quiet guild, he was heard pretty easily. All was silent but it didn't seem to faze Semyon in the slightest. "Now that I've got everyone's attention, I would like to give you all a message from Kotone. Yep that's right, Kotone. It seems Kotone is going to be hibernating for a while so she gave me a list of jobs to do. So far I've already accomplished two and I'm about to complete the third! The third job was to tell you all that she is sorry. Okay, three completed." With that he marched out the doors. His head popped back inside, "Oops, I still need to complete the forth task!"

He jumped back inside and raced up the stairs. He went straight to the throne and slapped a hand on a seat, creating a white magic circle. He slowly raised his hand, a white pillar forming underneath. The pillar shattered and the pieces fading away, leaving another Kotone standing on the Throne. The Kotone was exactly the same in every detail. The Kotone sat down and crossed her legs in the same way Semyon saw in his "dream". It was definitely not a dream. Kotone told him so in the lair.

Then Semyon ran out the door, wishing everyone a good day. It was time to go get Gildarts. If Gildarts was already gone by the time he got there, he would go after Laxus. He remembered when Laxus was banned from Fairy Tail. It was a huge scandal and Laxus became known as a really bad guy. That was putting it mildly. But from what Kotone told-er-showed Semyon was that she would give the only antidote to a poison to Laxus and she would hold the poison. She would tell him that if he kept the antidote as she drank the poison, she would make him the master of the guild. But if he gave her the antidote, she would kill him. Kotone said-er-showed that she knew without a doubt he would give her the antidote immediately.

Semyon smiled, racing out of Magnolia. He was going to meet new people and maybe even make a few enemies, but he knew that his sister was going to wake up. He knew that he had a short amount of time to get a lot of things done. Kotone would wake up. She would wake up when Fairy Tail needed her most and appear as the angel of death to start and end a war.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Biggest chapter yet. I pity my Beta….. I'm so sorry Alice-chan….so sorry…**

**And thanks HiImNewHere for also helping me beta!**

**Okay guys, I want to ask if a sequel would be a good idea. You know how some sequels can never be as good as the original? I'm afraid that if I make a sequel it would pale in comparison. But leave a review and say what you think. I thought about even writing this chapter, but I decided it was necessary. I wanted to show how Kotone was as a Master. Kind of like Makarov, kind of not. I also wanted to show how Kotone "recruits" members she wants. Just casually help the newcomer and bring them to the guild before sitting them in her throne to make them feel special with that lovely view. Then, if she really really wants them to stay, use her father's magic to show them a nice "dream". I wasn't sure if you guys would get that. Semyon's magic is to create illusions and Kotone's dragon magic of sound could technically allow her to control her victim's dreams (especially how she has basically mastered her element and can use it in the most extraordinary ways ) but I never really liked the idea of using sound to control dreams. It's just not right in my mind. SO! What I did way back then was make her Mom an ordinary human and the Dad the one with the magic! That would explain why Acnologia would choose her because he needed someone with a lot of magical power. Kotone already did, but he needed someone who could live until he needed them. And then I changed the whole idea of being a dragon slayer into an actual dragon! She was originally going to be a dragon slayer and this entire story was going to be her adventures in Edolas! I like this version better. What do you guys think? Should I have kept her in Edolas?**

**Anyways, since this IS the last chapter of my FIRST fanfiction, I want to say a few things. Not as if I haven't said enough in the last paragraph… But I also wanted to mention that I was planning on going over my first couple of chapters so I could make them awesome. There is so much more I could add to them now! I've become such a better writer now! Granted I have a long way to go, but seriously! Look at my first couple of chapters and then this one! So much more detail and imagery! *Sniff* I'm glad this was my last chapter! No matter how many PMs I get about how bad a writer I am. Well, all I have to say to those people is that even a pro was once a beginner.**

**I have so many stories racing through my head every day that I know I will never be able to write them all. Kotone, my first character I actually gave a story to and let the pieces fall where they wished, all I have to say is I love you. So much that I hear her talking to me when I'm goofing off. I know she ended up being one of those practically invincible characters that no one could defeat, but I think being a dragon give her some excuse. I actually planned originally on her getting destroyed by Acnologia because in a way she is still only a baby… The next character I created is in another FF which I plan on continuing this month or next. I only have two horrible chapters up for it but have three people who have waited around a year for me to continue… I can't believe they still have story alerts for it…**

**Thanks for riding along this journey with me, those of you who have followed along and left reviews at every chapter. I send you my happy thoughts!**

**Reviews!**

**HiImNewHere** I thank you again for helping me by being a beta! I can't wait to see Kotone in your FF! I don't mind mentioning people who deserve to be recognized for their work. And I already know your opinion on if there should be a sequel, but me? I'm an amazing author? My face turned crimson reading that. Thank you for the compliment but I doubt I'm amazing!

**TheOrangeNeko** I'm so sad that it ended! This chapter has actually been done for a while but I was waiting for the Betas' approval. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF IT! I'm so happy that people have stuck with me since the beginning!

**Anonymous** Yes I am aware that Mavis is a girl…. I posted that chapter a long time ago when the identity of Mavis was unknown….. I plan on going back and rewriting it….

**Edward the Pure** Yeah I wanted to include a chapter that showed how Kotone was as a Master and how it affected the locals. All those rumors! Yeah 7 dragons…. That includes the dragon king. Right now the Council is freaking out since the number of dragons is in question. It does seem to be over too soon! I made this chapter extra-long without realizing it because I didn't want it to end!

*sigh* For the last time in _**Another Dragon Slayer? **_my dear Royal Loyal Readers, until next time in another story….

_Gajeel: THIS STILL ISN'T AN ANIME!_

**Miu: WHY WON'****T YOU LET ME SAY IT!?**


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